


-The Great Divide - Chapters 34-45 + Epilogue

by Antigravity_Carnivore



Series: The Great Divide [34]
Category: Breaking Benjamin (Band), Poets of the Fall, Project Vela (Band), STARSET (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angel/Demon Relationship, Angst, Canon Gay Character, Canon Gay Relationship, Computers, Dark, Darkness, Demonic Possession, Demons, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Future Fic, Gay, Government Conspiracy, Government Experimentation, Heavy Angst, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Prox - Freeform, Schizophrenia, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 09:59:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 81,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17159918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antigravity_Carnivore/pseuds/Antigravity_Carnivore
Summary: While storms rage on Prox, threatening to rip the world apart, Dustin Bates must come face off against Burnley, in an effort to try and stop everything from being destroyed, while Scott and Travis fight for their lives.This chapter includes a special Christmas ending which will lead into my new series, The War on Falling Stars





	-The Great Divide - Chapters 34-45 + Epilogue

Author’s notes: A few things to keep in mind while reading this. I write for myself and anything that follows, no matter how strange, unusual or far-fetched it may seem, was written for my own personal pleasure. Please keep an open mind and remember that this is a meta-fan fiction, where even though it is loosely based on reality, things may happen that cannot be logically explained. Read it as it should be read, as a fantasy story where anything can happen.

That being said, astute observers will notice several passages that seem to be reminiscent of other chapters that I have written. Certain situations may happen in a similar way, but with a different outcome. I did this intentionally as homage to the other previous 30+ chapters that I have written. The Great Divide has been a massive amount of work and I feel that as an ending, I needed to go back and let you experience these things all over again for one dramatic, epic conclusion. 

I sincerely hope that you all have enjoyed the whirlwind of emotions and feelings that have led up to this final chapter(s) and will stick with me as I begin a new series, titled “The War on Falling Stars” which will begin in early 2019.

As always if you’ve enjoyed this series, please feel free to hand out a kudo here and there, authors just thrive on recognition, and/or hop on over to my Instagram page @starset_starlight for some fan art and edits based on this series.

Thank you very much for taking this journey with me.

Antigravity_Carnivore 

The hot coffee dripped into the paper cup slowly, as Scott leaned against the vending machine, closing his eyes for a moment. He was so tired, exhausted to almost the point of passing out, but he knew that he couldn’t rest, not yet, not until he knew that she was safe. There had been countless nights without sleep on and off for years now, but it wasn’t until recently when her illness became severe and life threatening that is world changed. He wasn’t prepared to deal with something like this, at least not on his own…but how could anyone really be? Every moment he spent with her was precious, a glowing beacon of hope and light in his otherwise dark life, but it couldn’t last forever, no matter how hard he prayed, wished and hoped for it, her life was slipping away, and there was nothing he could do. He had to make himself accept the fact that his daughter was dying.

“Your coffee is getting cold.” A soft voice spoke to him, startling Scott out of his shameful grief. Opening his eyes, he saw Travis standing before him. He was dressed in a heavy winter jacket that clung to his slender body perfectly, and a long scarf was wrapped around his neck, which had droplets of moisture on it, an obvious sign that he had just gotten in from outside. Pulling off his gloves, he reached down and took the cooling coffee out of the machine and handed it to Scott. “Here, take this. It looks like you need it, badly.”

Scott looked at him with red tinged eyes and let out an exasperated sigh taking a step away. “I told you not to come here. There’s nothing that you or anyone else can do for Ember. You wasted your time and money flying all the way out here. If Stephanie sees you, she’s going to freak the fuck out, because you know how much she hates you and music…and honestly, I can’t deal with any drama right now. Go home...”

Travis stood still, gazing down at the steaming hot cup of black coffee in his hand. “Knock it off already. I know that you don’t want me here, but I feel as though I need to be here with you. I can’t possibly imagine the heartache that you are going through right now, and I don’t want to be in the way, but with all the trouble that you are having with Stephanie… I think that that it’s important you have someone here on your side, to listen and let you get things off your chest without placing blame on you or judging you. I want to be here, whether you like it or not.” Gently, he offered up the cup of coffee to Scott again and gave him a comforting smile. “That’s what friends do for one another, they stand by their side through good times and bad. Now, you can try and chase me out of you want, but I won’t go, because no matter what happens, I promised that I will always stand by your side.”

Scott took the cup of cooling coffee from Travis and held it tightly in his hands. The temperature of the hospital cafeteria was far too cold for him, and the warmth from the liquid felt good in the palms of his hands. “This is why I let you write all the lyrics. You’re so damn sentimental, and you're good with words.” He laughed and flashed a small smile back as Travis. A moment of humor passed between the two men that seemed to lighten the mood and take the edge off, but as quickly as it came, it passed again and Scott’s smile faded as he spoke again and he looked off far into the distance, unable to face his friend. “They say that she probably only has a day or two left. There’s no cure for what she has, and her body can’t fight it anymore. We’ve tried almost every medicine known to man and nothing works. I don’t want to lose her; she’s my little girl… I feel as though I’ve let her down, but there’s really nothing else that can be done.” Scott’s voice wavered as he spoke, and he fought to keep his emotions in check.

“What about experimental drugs? There's got to be something that can help her.” Travis asked quietly. He looked around and saw that the cafeteria was starting to fill up with the evening crowd. Gently, he took Scott’s arm and started to lead him away from the group of hungry hospital staff. “I read online that there’s this new company that is making major breakthroughs in curing certain types of fatal diseases with new types of drugs. Sure, it’s risky and not without complications, but it would be worth a shot if you contact them to see what they can do.”

Shaking his head, Scott looked away from his friend and started to walk back down the corridor to Ember’s room. “I saw those advertisements too, all over social media. Something about it doesn’t seem right. I don’t know if I can trust a bunch of scientists that just crawled out of the woodwork promising miracles. It doesn’t seem odd to you that they pop up all of a sudden with this new technology that no one has ever heard of before and are unwilling to share? It’s sketchy. She’s my daughter, not some lab rat, and I won’t subject her to that. No father could ever do that. Besides, it’s probably too late now anyway. Steph decided that we’ve done enough. She doesn’t want her to suffer anymore and ordered all the machines removed from her to let her die a natural death. She wants her to pass in peace. We’re just waiting now…for the time to come… ”

“And what do YOU want, Scott?” Travis asked. He was trying as hard as he could to keep his voice down, but when it came to matters of Scott and his wife, Stephanie, he found that it was very hard to control his emotions. He hated the way that she treated him, always talking down to him as if he was some sort of low class citizen, and belittling his music, even though writing was one of his most beloved passions. Every penny Scott spent on a new guitar or even a set of strings was met with resistance from her, with the argument that it could be used for ‘real grown up things’. This reason alone was more than enough to spark Travis’s dislike for her. “Ember is your daughter too; you should have some say in what happens to her. Are you going to be able to live with yourself, knowing that you let Steph take the lead on this and ‘let nature run its course’ when there might have been something that you could do to save her? Yeah it’s certainly a long shot, but isn’t it worth taking the risk if it can cure her? Think about it, Scott. If it works, if they can make her better, she can have her life back…your daughter, being bright and alive as she should be, not confined to a hospital bed wasting away to nothing, staring at the same four walls day after day. Stephanie is pushing you to make a decision that clearly you’re not ready for. Don’t let her do this to you.”

“There’s a lot of stuff going on between my wife and I right now… things that I’d rather not talk about okay?” Scott mumbled, shaking his head. He knew that some of the things that Travis was saying was exactly what he was feeling, but he knew that it was useless to stand up to her. Not here, not now when his child was in a room dying. “Just drop it.” He said with a extremely unpleasant warning tone.

Approaching the end of the hall, the men stopped outside of the door to the private room. Travis reached out and grabbed the sleeve of Scott’s shirt. His fingers slid over the soft material covering his arm and for a moment, their eyes met. “Are you afraid of standing up to Stephanie?” He asked softly.

“What kind of dumb ass question is that to ask?” Scott struggled to contain his emotions. “You don’t know what you’re talking about…after the accident, I felt so damn helpless. I couldn’t do anything for myself. I started to become depressed and suicidal. Ember and Steph…they were there for me. Why would I ever have to ‘stand up’ to her? The two of them… they are my life.”

“Steph LEFT you!” Travis snapped. “Don’t go glossing it over like she was your saving grace. After the accident, she took her shit and left you alone with Ember, and filed for divorce. You still haven’t signed the papers yet! All she cared about was your lost paycheck and how she was going to get money for her next shopping trip. She’s a terrible mother who only cared about herself. No one else. Maybe at one time, she really did love you, but when you needed her the most, she turned away from you. She wasn’t capable of seeing past your broken bones and shattered body. Then when Ember fell ill, things got worse…. She didn’t want to deal with an injured husband and a sick daughter; it was too much pressure on her. When you couldn’t provide for her anymore, she walked away. Look at what she’s doing now, she’s letting Ember die so she can sever all ties and be done with you. That’s not how a wife and mother should act.”

Pulling his hand away, Scott placed it on the doorknob and stood motionless. “I know that it looks like Steph is cold and uncaring, but deep beneath it all, I know she’s a good person. Yeah she may have left us, but can you blame her? All that stress and pressure of providing for an entire family just got overwhelming. Maybe I do let her run my life sometimes, but the way I see it… I’m losing my daughter… and my wife both. I can’t lose them, Travis. I just can’t… If I do… then what’s left for me?” Taking a deep breath, he pulled the door open and stepped inside, not bothering to look back at him, who stood heartbroken and saddened by his friend’s words. This wasn’t how he expected things to go. 

The door swung silently shut and Travis reached out and placed his fingertips on it, unable to follow the man that he loved inside. He had crossed the line and now he wasn’t welcome. His heart was breaking. “….you have me.” He stood there at the door for a long time, silently listening to the sound of the monitors in the room beyond beeping and the hushed voices of Scott and Stephanie. Ember was still alive, they didn’t disconnect her yet. Quickly turning away from the room, he hurried down the corridor and found an empty space where he could be alone. Darting inside, the motion sensor lights kicked on and flooded the small chapel as he entered. Running his hand along the wall, he shut the harsh overhead lights off, choosing the natural ambient glow of the electric candles on the altar in front of him instead of the artificial incandescent lighting. As he approached the altar, his eyes fell on all the golden crosses and portraits of religious icons in front of him. Travis was not a religious man at all, but he knew that he would need a miracle if he were to save Ember’s life, and this seemed to be the right place to ask for one. He loved Scott more than anything else in the world, but was deathly afraid of admitting his feelings to him. Scott had a wife, a child, a family. He was clearly not in the market to have a gay relationship with a part time musician, much less one who was dirt poor and broke most of the time, so Travis’s feelings for him would remain a secret. Even with the troubles with Stephanie, and the constant degrading remarks about his music and his lifestyle, Travis and Scott remained friends, and that alone was something worth holding onto, no matter how difficult it became.

Sitting back on the wooden pew, Travis brought his phone out and typed in a web address that he knew all too well. www.TheFreeEnergyCorporation.com. He had been on the website several times in the last few weeks, reading up on the new experimental drug treatment programs that had become available. They had strict criteria for anyone interested in taking part, and there was a lot of legal jargon to scroll through, but the testimonies and photos of those who had recovered was more than enough to pique his interest. Of course there were the extreme radical groups who accused the FEC of doing atrocious things to those who volunteered for the programs, but none of the claims had ever been fully investigated. And the few who accused them of the crimes never offered any evidence of wrong doings, and soon fell silent from all social media sites. 

Entering some information, Travis took a long breath and hit the submit button. It was done. Almost instantly his phone began to ring loudly, startling him so much that he almost dropped it. Fumbling with his fingers, he quickly recovered and looked down at the screen. The number came up as ‘unknown’. He didn't expect anything less. Feeling himself start to feel anxious and nervous, but not sure why, he let it ring once more before answering it. Something in the back of his mind screamed at him not to answer, to forget the whole thing and not interfere, but he quickly pushed it away, slamming the door on the thoughts. Scott was desperate not to lose his family, and Travis was desperate not to lose Scott.

His finger hit the green ‘accept’ button and he slowly raised the phone up to his ear. Before he could say a word, a slightly foreign sounding male voice on the other end started speaking. “Your request for assistance has been received and accepted by the FEC. My team and I will be at your location within the hour to collect the patient and bring her back to our facility for treatment.”

Travis frowned. He didn’t like the flat, uncaring tone in the man’s voice, or lack of humanity to his words. “Her name is Ember, and there was no mention about you taking her anywhere for treatment, I assumed you would just treat her here.” He replied to the disembodied voice on the other end of the line.

“Ember. Of course.” The man replied quickly. “Yes I have that here in my notes, she's your child. I assure you that she will get the best care available in the most timely manner. You’ve made the right decision to contact us regarding this case. We have the most advanced medical and pharmaceutical resources available anywhere that will allow us to care for Ember in a way that modern medicine cannot possibly even dream of. She will be in good hands with us, treated better than the place she is in now. That being said, I will go ahead and disconnect the call and make my way to your location. You do not have to be present, we will be sure to take care of everything.”

“Wait wait WAIT!!” Travis shouted. He realized how loud his voice had grown and looked towards the door to see if any passerby’s had heard him. The hour was late, and thankfully there was no one curious or interested enough to investigate his sudden outburst. He stood up and ran his fingers through his hair, as he started pacing around the room. “I lied on the application to you… I am not a family member… as a matter of fact, the parents don’t even know that I contacted you. If you just show up there and try to take their daughter…” Travis voice dropped off and he felt the first waves of regret. He didn’t know what he was getting into and now wished that he had never made the request. There was just something about the voice on the other end of the line that gave him the chills, and something about the whole thing made him feel terribly wrong.

“Why did you contact us then, Travis, if you don't have legal guardianship of the child?” The man said flatly.

Travis didn’t answer. He thought about Scott, and how he had grown so close to him over the last few months after his accident on the bridge. After losing his job, and his wife walking out on him, Scott needed someone to depend on, to emotionally support him and assure him that his life wasn’t falling apart. Travis was that person. Even though they lived hundred miles apart from one another, they were able to connect in such a way that made them more familiar than friends, and closer than brothers. Travis never met anyone with such a loving heart, and open, honest smile before, and from the moment of their first conversation, he was completely, and wholly in love with him. “Scott’s daughter is his world.” Travis whispered. “If he loses her, I am afraid that he will lose himself, and I don’t want that to happen. I know I sort of overstepped boundaries by doing this, but they aren't doing anything to save her. I wanted.... no I had to step in because I care for her.”

The man’s voice became a little lower, and sinister sounding. “Exit the little chapel you are hiding in, Travis. Leave the hospital go back to your hotel room. Unpack your bag and take a hot shower, we will contact you when we have the child… er… Ember safe in our care. You have nothing to worry about; your anonymity is safe with us. We have ways of taking care of things, let us handle the details.”

Travis clutched on to the phone tightly. The palms of his hands were sweating now. “How did you know where I am? What’s going to happen to Travis and Steph?”

“Information is part of our business. The moment your phone connected to our website, we tracked your location and have already sent a team your way. It’s in your best interest not to be there when they arrive; your presence might cause trouble with the family. We can best deal with them if you were not there. You do want the child to be properly taken care of and her disease cured, right? Then let us do our job. Return to your hotel and await our phone call. You’ll be able to talk to your friends then as well. No harm will come to them, after they’ve been given the proper information and the situation has been diffused. Trust us.”

Still feeling unsure and uneasy about his decision, Travis pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a moment. He had a feeling like he had thrown a pebble into a river and was now being carried away by the waves that it had created. Reluctantly, he his made mind up and decided to follow the instructions he was given, a child’s life was at stake here, and there shouldn’t be any doubt as to what the right thing was to do. He was going to save her, for Scott’s sake. “Alright. I’ll do as you ask. How and when do you want payment?”

The slightly accented voice was a bit more soothing now, almost reassuring. Travis wished that he could place the accent that the man had, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. “As stated on the website, immediate payment is not required or desired, and we do not accept monetary payment for our services. After the treatment has been initiated and our patient properly cared for, then we will discuss how and when you can make compensation to the Free Energy Corporation.”

Realizing that he had paced his way three times around the room, Travis came to a sudden stop near the door. “What exactly does that mean? Are you going to take my soul or something?”

“Travis. Ember’s time is short. Do you really want to stand here and make idle conversation while she loses precious moments of her life?” The man asked. Travis remained silent. “That's what I thought. Excellent choice. Return to your hotel room now. We will be in touch.” With a click, the phone disconnected and went dark, the call dropped. Travis put his hand on the door handle and turned around for a moment to look at the dimly lit golden cross that adorned the far wall.

“Please tell me that I made the right decision.” He whispered. Then, taking a long deep breath, he pulled the door open and hurried out into the hall. Struggling to put his coat on while walking quickly, Travis made his way down the corridor, casually glancing at the windows which opened up into the courtyard. It was the dead of night now, and the streetlights were making the falling snow look like dancing flecks of glitter falling down from the sky. Having no time to admire it, he knew that he had to be out of there as soon as possible. He didn’t want to be there when they came for Ember; he didn’t want to see the look in Scott’s eyes as they took his child out of her bed and whisked her away to whatever secret lab that they had set up. He couldn’t bear to see the hurt on his face when all of this happened. It was all for the best though, and was the right thing to do. Travis was saving her life, and in the end, Scott would inevitably thank him. 

Almost at the end of the hall, with his eyes fixed on the exit sign, Travis hastily buttoned up his coat and threw his scarf around his face when suddenly a door opened and Scott stepped out with wide eyes. “Travis, you’re still here?” Scott’s voice sounded thankful and somewhat pleasantly surprised.

“I didn’t want to just leave things like that, so I hung around. I know how stubborn you can be, and I knew that you didn’t mean what you said… I guess I just wanted to make sure that you were alright.” Travis glanced into the slightly open door behind Scott, to see Steph asleep in the bed curled up next to her child. “How is she doing?”

Noticing Travis looking into the room, Scott quickly shut the door and stepped in front of it. “As crazy as it all seems, I think that everything is going to be okay. They disconnected Ember from all the machines and miraculously, she started breathing on her own. Then all of her numbers started going up and she responded to the medicine. We couldn’t believe it. She’s definitely not cured or anything, but she’s out of the woods for the moment.” Scott’s eyes grew watery and he clumsily wiped at them. “I thought I lost her when they unplugged everything, but I didn’t… she came back to me.” He took a deep breath and smiled brightly at Travis. “They both came back to me!”

Travis’s mouth suddenly went dry. He loosened his scarf and held onto the edge with shaking fingers. “What do you mean?”

Gently tugging on his arm, Scott led Travis away from the door towards one of the windows. The snow intensified and started falling faster now, quickly covering the sidewalks and roads outside. “Stephanie and I…we had a lot of problems in the past, after the accident…and with Ember getting sick and all… but tonight, we were kind of forced to sit down together and talk… and for the first time in ages we were able to accept the mistakes that we both made and move on to get past them. She’s going to come back to me… just for a few days at first, to help take care of Ember when we take her home, and then if we work really hard at this, and things go right, she’s going to stay… permanently. Isn’t that great?”

Travis’s heart sank. He immediately pulled away from Scott. “No. No it’s not! Listen to me, you are vulnerable right now, your head isn’t in the right place. Ember’s doing better, that’s fantastic, but Stephanie didn’t cause her to recover, she’s not the cure for whatever is hurting you right now. If you let her back into your life, you are going to get hurt again. You are finally where you want to be, spending time with your daughter, enjoying what you love doing, making music… Please don’t take one step forward and five steps back.”

The joy from Scott’s face seemed to fade as he stared at his best friend in disbelief. “You’ve got it all wrong… I am NOT where I want to be! Look at me, Travis. I am nearly divorced, disabled, unemployed musician, who can barely make ends meet for his sick daughter. Do you think that is a ‘good’ place to be? I can tell you that it’s not. Music might be important for you, but it’s not for me… not when your little girl spends every waking moment in severe pain because her father can’t afford her medicine. How do you think it feels when she curls up in bed next to me at night, shivering from the cold and begging for another blanket because daddy can’t pay the heating bill?”

The sound of footsteps echoing down the hall caught Travis’s attention for a moment. “Do you think that Steph being around is going to make all those problems go away? I can tell you right now that she’s not, she’s going to add to them… and no matter what she’s promised you about getting a job to help ‘pitch in’ or help out with Ember, it won’t last! I don’t know what her game is right now, but I don’t want you playing it.” He paused for a moment and took a long, deep breath. “All I am saying is that you shouldn’t make any hasty decisions right now.” He reached out and with great daring took hold of one of Scott’s hands. The feeling of his warm flesh was overwhelming and for a moment, Travis forgot himself, wishing that he could hold onto these hands forever. “You said that you don’t want to lose Steph and Ember because you’d be alone… Trust me, Scott… you wouldn’t be alone.” Slowly leaning forward, with the sparkling silver snowflakes fluttering against the window all around them, Travis reached up and placed a hand alongside of Scott’s face, lightly running his fingers through the thick mass of his scruffy facial hair. Their eyes met and the distance between their bodies closed. Travis brought his face close to Scott’s, concentrating on those soft, delicate pink lips. “You wouldn’t want for anything, ever again. You’d be loved, and treated like the artist that you were meant to be. Your music and my words would be the breath that gives life… a life that we could live on together… forever.” With his heart beating furiously, Travis gave into his desire and brought his lips close to Scott’s, preparing to kiss him. He waited for a moment, ready to face the heartache when Scott pulled away, but much to his surprise, he didn’t. Together, the two men stood in the hospital hallway, their bodies unusually close to one another lost in this moment of pure and utter fascination. Seeing Scott’s eyes close, Travis knew that this was his one chance to show him just how he felt. He bent down, his lips anxiously awaiting that precious moment when they would collide with Scott’s, when suddenly a soft, slightly accented voice spoke up from behind them.

“If you will pardon the interruption, gentlemen...” Scott jumped back, as though he had been caught doing something bad, and immediately took the opportunity to move away from a equally startled Travis, who stood motionless, staring at the man in front of him. He was tall and well built, with short, cropped sandy blond hair and piercing ice blue eyes. He wore a tight fitting mid length lab coat, that hung down to thighs that were encased in tight fitting black pants that were neatly tucked into combat boots, and odd choice for a doctor. There was some sort of ID card with an odd triangular logo clipped onto his breast pocket, which bore the bold letters of FEC across the top of it. The doctor saw Travis's eyes change direction and he stepped forward, clearing his throat. “You are Scott, and Ember is your daughter, correct?

Scott looked around anxiously. “Yeah. Is there something wrong with my little girl? Is she sick again?”

“On the contrary, she’s doing wonderfully thanks to our intervention… we’re actually here to help you, but first thing’s first.” He held out his hand and flashed Scott a smile. Travis couldn’t help but to think the grin was rather impish, and slightly disturbing. “My name is Marko, I am a specialist with the medical division of the Free Energy Corporation, and we are here to help you and your daughter… but first we need to take care of a few things.” When Scott didn’t accept his handshake, the doctor immediately turned towards Travis. “Hmmm okay. If you will please leave, sir. This is a private matter between us and the family.”

Travis knew that this was his chance to leave, his out, but he didn’t want to just go and abandon Scott. He felt guilty now for going over his head and forcing something on him that he obviously didn’t want… but yet… Ember was recovering and doing well. Whatever they had done, it was working. “I… I… am going to stay here. Scott is my friend and…”

Marko shook his head. “I am really sorry sir, but company policy as well as patient privacy forbid me from speaking of this matter in front of non-family members, even if your friend here was to give us permission, we are forbidden from including outsiders in any and all decisions made by the family in regards to their child’s health. I really hate to rush you out and all, but the moments we spend discussing this could be moments that potentially put Ember’s health at risk, so I do insist that you leave.” He turned toward Scott and nodded to him. “And I am quite sure that your friend here will fill you in on all the details, as soon as we’re finished discussing them. There’s nothing more you can do here for the moment, and it would appear that you’ve traveled a long way tonight, so perhaps it is better that you retire back to your accommodations for the night and remain by the phone. It won’t take long, I assure you.”

Travis looked to Scott. “Scott…”

With a slightly trouble look on his face, and his hands knitted together Scott spoke softly. “It’s probably a good idea that you go get some rest.” He looked up to Travis and their gaze met. Both men were now harboring silent guilt towards one another. Travis felt guilty for calling the radical group in to use their experimental drugs on Ember, without knowing the side effects or consequences of his actions. She was getting better, recovering at the moment, but what would happen to the friendship between him and Scott after he found out that he had called them? Scott himself also felt guilt, but his was a different, more confused type of pain. He knew that he loved his daughter very much, and to some extent his wife as well, it wasn’t a very passionate sort of love, but enough to work on, and potentially get his family back together. But then there was Travis… this beautiful young man with a head full of stars and his heart full of music. When they were together, magic happened. With every word that Travis wrote, Scott was able to pin a melody on, and make it soar through the air on the silver strings of a guitar. There was certainly some chemistry between the two men, but it made Scott feel awkward and anxious whenever he thought about it. Tonight, in the moments they were alone together, Scott allowed himself to give in, and take comfort in the closeness of his friend and it turned out to be more than he bargained for. These feelings now made his heart feel heavy and burdened with guilt. How could he allow himself to feel things like this when his daughter and wife were only a few feet away behind a concealed door? Scott cleared his throat. “Travis, I want you to---“

“Daddy?” Embers small voice called out from the door where she and Stephanie stood, hand in hand.

Scott immediately rushed over to her and scooped her up in his strong arms. “What are you doing out here? How are you feeling Em?”

Stephanie smile at her husband and little girl. “She just woke up and immediately asked for you. I heard your voice out here talking and thought that we’d surprise you.” She shot an angry glance at Travis, who recoiled back towards the window, in quiet submission.

“I was so worried about you.” Scott said, as he pushed the bright red hair back away from his child’s face and kissed her forehead. “You were so sick, but you came back to us!”

“Yes.” Marko interrupted. “She’s doing a lot better thanks to the wonders of medicine.” He smiled over at the family and then gestured toward the room. “I do hate to be so pushy, but there are important matters to discuss with the family.” He gave a look to Travis and held the door open for Ember and Stephanie. After they entered, he followed them inside, leaving the two men alone in the hall again.

Scott moved toward Travis, who took a step away. “Hey, about what happened earlier…”

Waving his hand, Travis readjusted his scarf. “Nothing happened Scott. There’s nothing to be sorry for. Don’t worry about it.” His eyes fell on the snow still falling outside. He didn’t want to leave, now more than ever, but he knew that he had to go. It was all out of his hands now. “I have to go get a couple hours of sleep before I go back home. Promise you will call me in the morning?”

“Wait, you’re going home already?”

Pulling the keys from the rental car out of his pocket, he idly thumbed through them, avoiding Scott’s gaze. “Yeah, you have your hands full with Ember… and Stephanie… It’s better that I am not here. I gotta go now; I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

Without bothering to look back at Scott, Travis quickly made his way to the door and out into the snowy night. It was just after midnight and the temperature was well below freezing, but the cool wind and snow on his face made him feel a little better and refreshed. He didn’t know what was going to happen with the FEC doctor, Marko, but whatever it was; it was worth it to see the look on Scott’s face when Ember stepped out of the room. Someday, he knew that he would have to sit down and talk to Scott about his feelings, but today was not that day. It could wait.

Walking away from the hospital, Travis had just made it to his car when a man dressed in a black coat approached him. He was wearing a FEC arm band. “I am going, can’t you see that? What more do you want from me?”

The man pointed to the car. “Get in your car, drive to the hotel. Check into your room and stay there until morning. I’ll be following you to make sure that you follow these orders. If you do as I say, then nothing will happen, I will be gone when the sun comes up, and you will be free to do whatever you want.”

Now more than ever, Travis felt like he made a big mistake. These FEC guys weren’t messing around. He looked back to the hospital. “And what happens if I refuse?”

Unbuttoning his jacket, the man pushed the side back to reveal a gun neatly tucked underneath one arm. “I think it’s in your best interest not to refuse. The FEC takes is practices and patients very seriously. We wouldn’t want any trade secrets to be revealed now, would we?”

Travis unlocked his car and got in. “I don’t think it’s about trade secrets at this point. Something else is going on. I swear to Christ, if you hurt any of them, I’ll find out what you are doing and expose it.”

“We’re only trying improve to the lives of the people who live on this planet and give them safe alternatives. The only threat to that family right now is you.”

Turning around, he quickly flipped the man the finger and slammed his door shut, revving the engine and leaving the parking lot in a cloud of smoke. Travis followed his GPS to a hotel a few miles away from the hospital. It was a cheap little dive that could use some renovation, but he really didn’t plan on spending much time in the hotel anyway. Using up his savings, he was able to purchase the ticket for his flight, and his petty cash and hotel money came out of a sale of a few guitars that he was able to part with. Music was his life, and yet, when it came between holding onto a musical instrument, and being there with his best friend when he needed him the most, it was a no brainier. Making his way up the second flight of stairs to where his room was located, Travis stopped and looked out to the balcony and saw the shiny black car which followed him to the hotel neatly parked across the street, it’s driver leaning back in the seat keeping a watchful set of eyes on him. Disgusted, he unlocked the room and went inside, pulling the curtains closed with a sharp tug. Tossing his bag of clothing onto the bed, he searched his pockets for his cell phone and dialed Scott’s number. He had to make sure that he was okay. The FEC doctor, Marko was quick to get rid of him, and there had to be a reason why. Anxiously walking around the room in circles, Travis waited patiently for the call to connect. His mind raced and wondered that if something were to happen to Scott and his family, what could he do about it? He was being held prisoner in some run down hotel room by a operative of the FEC and not quite sure why. He glanced at the clock, dawn was only a few hours away, all he had to do was wait. Sleep was completely out of the question. His mind could only be put at ease if he knew that Scott was okay. Peeking out of the curtain, Travis once again checked for the FEC guy, of course he was still there. “Come on, come on, pick up, Damn it!” he swore under his breath. After a few anxious minutes the call went through and much to his dismay, straight to voice-mail. Thinking it a mistake, he quickly dialed the numbers over again, and patiently waited. Moments passed, with the same sad result. Scott was never one to let his phone die, so it was highly suspicious that the call wasn’t going though. Angry, hungry and tired beyond belief, Travis threw his slender body down onto a chair, clutching his phone in his hand and waited.

Hours later, the default ring tone woke Travis up with a start. Glancing around, he saw that the sun was up, but he had no idea what time it was. The music on his phone continued to play, growing louder and louder as he searched around for it, finally finding it lying on the floor next to him where he had obviously dropped it when he fell asleep. Without looking at the caller ID, he quickly answered it. “Hello, Scott… is everything alright, I’ve been worried about you. What happened with---“

“This is Marko from the medical research division of the FEC, we met last night.”

Travis pulled open the curtains, letting a rush of bright sunlight in. The car and it’s driver that had followed him were no longer there. “Okay, yeah so what’s going on? I tried to call Scott last night and there was no answer. I want to know what happened after I left.”

Marko hesitated for a moment, the silence sounded like a dramatic pause. “Travis. We told you not to contact Scott, we informed you that he would be calling in the morning with news. It saddens us that you aren’t able to follow such simple rules.”

“Yeah well you know what, fuck your rules, buddy. I didn’t know anything about this craziness when I signed up to have Ember in your program. I thought that you’d just show up, give her a bunch of experimental drugs and then that would be the end of it. I don’t know what you’re really up to, but I don’t want any part of it, and I regret dragging Scott and his family in it now too. Even though Ember is doing better, I still can’t abide by this type of thing. What you’re doing, it’s unethical and I don’t want a part in it. So, just tell me how much I owe you and let’s be done with it.”

“Our methods do not require any explanation. As stated on the website, we are a independent lab, with our own set of goals which we are not allowed to discuss with any non-member. I do truly regret your dislike for our methods, but I can assure you that they are highly effective… most of the time.”

Travis’s skin crawled. He hated the way that the doctor emphasized the words ‘most of the time.’ “Whatever. I want an update, and I want to talk to Scott. Right now.”

The accent laden voice on the other end of the line dropped to a quiet tone, much like he had heard the night before when he was trying to be convincing. “There were some complications with the medicine that was given to the child… er… Ember, I could go over them with you, but I don’t think that you’d quite comprehend the complexity of it, so I will spare you the details. It is sad to report that she unfortunately did not make it.”

Travis sank back down into the chair. His hands were trembling. “How can this be? She was up and walking around before I left last night! She looked good. Scott was so happy! What did you assholes do to her?”

“Please calm down Travis. These things happen. As was explained on the website, we are working with experimental drugs, and by allowing us to administer them on dying patients, we are able to note the side effects and unfortunate reactions to these chemicals and take this data back to our lab for analysis. It is by far a perfect science and we’re still working on it.” Marko explained coolly.

“You murdered her! I just know it. That’s why you wanted me out of there. You used her as a lab rat…she was a child for Christ sake! Fuck, I had a feeling this was going to go bad. I want to talk to Scott right now… put him on the phone.”

Silence crept over the line. Finally after a few moments, Marko spoke again. “He’s currently sedated. After his child passed away, he became quite violent and we had to take measures to protect ourselves. Travis, I need you to calm down for a moment and listen closely to what I am telling you, it is very important. What you choose to do in the next few moments will have serious effects on the future.”

“I seriously doubt it. You are all a bunch of crazy motherfuckers with a ton of illegal drugs at your disposal and you’re pushing them on innocent people looking for a quick cure. I want you to tell me right now where Scott and Stephanie are or else I am going to call the police.”

“That wouldn’t be a good idea. This can go two ways. You can listen to what we have to say, make good on your promise to us for payment and when it is fulfilled, Scott will be released with no memory of what has happened, other than his daughter dying of her disease, or you can have it your way and you can expose us, but in doing that, I can assure you that you won’t ever see Scott again. There’s always openings for new, viable, healthy bodies to experiment on and he’d be a perfect candidate as you would too. Sad to say that those who have been publicly against us, have sadly seemed to mysteriously disappear under strange circumstances. The Free Energy Corporation isn’t just some call organization that you can run to the Better Business Bureau and point fingers at. We’ve got members in all branches of the government now, and local as well as international support. You will never be able to run from us. We can find you anywhere. So please save us both the time and don’t bother trying anything heroic. It won’t end well. Now, none of this has to come about… like I said, if you agree to pay your debt, Scott will be released, suffering only minor depression from the loss of his daughter to a natural death, and not remember a single moment of it, or you can choose to oppose us, and condemn him to a very painful and brutal death, as well as possibly one of your own. The choice is yours.”

Travis wanted to throw the phone across the room in a fit of rage and walk away, he couldn’t get his head around how his good intentions of trying to save his best friends daughter had suddenly gone bad and put everyone involved in a dangerous position. It was only supposed to be a experimental drug trial, nothing more. Silently, he paced the room, running his fingers through his hair. He could hear Marko on the other end of the line quietly awaiting a response. There was no reason for him to say anymore, he didn’t need anything to convince Travis to help them, he had all the leverage. All he had to do was wait for him to give in and say the words. In a perfect world, none of this should have ever happened. He could have been brave enough to confess his feelings to his friend and be done with it, accepting whatever outcome came about, but he didn’t. Now it was possibly too late, he would never have this chance again…or would he? Glancing outside at the softly falling snow flakes in the early morning sunlight, Travis’s hand finally stopped trembling. Drawing a long breath into his lungs, he spoke quietly into the phone. “Just tell me what I have to do.”

“Burnley…” I whispered. My lips were barely able to form the syllables to say his name. I felt as though all the air had suddenly been sucked out of my lungs, and the room was closing in on me. It took every bit of strength that I had to not turn around and run. His eyes were locked onto me like some sort of predator, waiting to devour it’s prey. My fight or flight instinct was kicking in, and I was leaning more and more towards flight. There was no way he could be here. It was over a year since he had died in the explosion at the FEC base, and all the emotions and pain that he had caused had been long since buried with him. Or so I thought…but yet here he was standing at the end of the hall, just a few feet away from me, with that terrible, unreadable cold expression on his face. “Are you really here or just something that I am imagining?”

A slight, wry smile upturned the corners of his slightly pink lips, creating a mocking grin in my direction. “Which one would you find more disturbing? Me being here in flesh and blood, a few feet away from you, with no one around to come and save you from whatever little sick desires that fill my head or the fact that I had made my way so far into your subconscious that you keep seeing me everywhere you turn and look? Either one is quite terrifying, but somewhat satisfying, really.”

My eyes scanned around, desperately looking for the weapon that I had carelessly thrown down the hall after I left the room with Lizzie. It was my only hope of defending myself against the monster at the end of the corridor. “You don’t know what I’ve been through, Burnley… the things I’ve seen, the things I’ve done… I can’t deal with much more, so if you’re some sort of apparition then say whatever it is that you came here to say to me and then fuck off. I don’t have time for dealing with ghosts.”

I anxiously watched his face for some sort of reaction, some evidence that I pissed him off, or even bored him with my words, but there was still nothing. He was strangely calm and composed, which frightened me even more. Where were the violent, rash impulsive reactions that he had been known for? Where was the verbal scolding and mind games that he loved to play those who challenged him? This wasn’t like him at all, there was something definitely different about him, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but whatever it was, it made him even more disturbing than ever. He took a step back and lifted his foot with immeasurable grace, revealing the gun that I had dropped earlier laying on the floor underneath his tightly laced combat boot. I looked up from the weapon to him and then suddenly, he pulled his leg back and kicked the gun with full force, sending it skittering down the hallway where it came to a stop right in front of me. A bright green light flashed harshly on the pristine white polished floors, signaling that it had recharged and was ready for another shot. One bar… one shot. That’s all it had enough power for. That little green light flashed on and off in rhythmic patterns, beckoning me to bend down and pick it up, but I was torn on what to do. Burnley was a psychopathic genius. Every single decision that he made was a perfectly calculated risk, and he seemed to know all the possible outcomes. The FEC had run countless experiments on him as a child in effort to make him the most perfect killing machine, that they had not noticed how intelligent and cunning he was becoming, which eventually caused him to rebel against them, bringing about their own downfall. If I bent down to pick up the weapon at my feet, was I giving him the opening that he needed? Was it the momentary distraction before he could spring into action and murder me in cold blood? I couldn’t risk it.

“Pick it up, Dustin.” Burnley said, his low voice echoing down the hall. “Pick up that gun and point it at me, pull the trigger and see if this ghost bleeds.”

I could feel the hair on the back of my neck start to rise as he spoke. If was almost as if his words alone had strength and power. I don’t know why I did it, but I slowly started to bend down, keeping a watchful eye on him, my hand extending for the laser pistol with trembling fingers. Even though I knew it was a bad idea, I had to go for it; I had to have that gun. I needed a weapon against the man who brutally raped me, assaulted his father and was the reason why Brock was dead. I wanted to know that I had some defense against him, or at least a way to hurt him, if I needed to make a quick retreat.

The moment that my fingers curled around the cold metal, I felt a little better. I had more control over the situation. My mind went back to the last moment that I remembered him alive, kneeling on the floor, in front of me, blinded and severely wounded, taunting me so that I would kill him and end his pain, because Ben wouldn’t do it. I couldn’t do it either. I saw how Brock looked at him and it broke my heart. I spared him because I knew that ending Burnley’s life would widen the gap between Brock and I, and I just couldn’t bear to hurt him anymore. Looking back, I knew that I made a mistake. Had Ben or I killed the bastard, none of this would have happened. Lizzie, Thomas, Brock, Shaun…they would all still be here. It was a mistake to leave him alive, one that I was certain I wouldn’t make again.

Burnley reached up, and with slender fingers, unbuttoned the front of his shirt. The soft layers of material fell open, revealing the porcelain white skin of his chest underneath. Stretching his long arms out to the side, he leaned his head back slightly and closed his eyes. I feel incredibly uneasy, it was if he was reading my thoughts that I wanted to kill him. “Go ahead Dustin. I’ve given you the perfect target. Go ahead and take the shot, make it count. It won’t be like last time… there’s no Eden drug in my veins, making me stronger and more resilient. Call it revenge, call it vengeance, you can even call it a mercy killing if you wish, but if you are going to do it, do it now. I will promise you that you will NEVER get this chance again.”

Pushing the safety catch off the trigger of the gun, I slid my finger over the trigger and heard the soft humming as it charged up. Standing there, Burnley looked almost like a different man. His gray green eyes were bright and clear, no flecks of amber color in them at all. His skin tone was normal and healthy, stretched over a well-muscled frame that moved with a elegance that even the most highly trained dancer would be jealous of. My hand twitched, my fingers damp with sweat. I brought my other hand up to hold the bottom of the gun to stabilize it, and that’s when I noticed the flecks of blood on the barrel. Lizzie’s blood. I was suddenly overcome with grief. I killed Lizzie, or whatever it was that she had become. It was Lizzie’s dream that everyone could live peacefully with one another on Prox, that there would be no more bloodshed and violence, and here I was, prepared to kill just for my own selfish reasons. I gripped so it tightly in my hand that I though my knuckles were going to pop. “You…you can’t be real.” I whispered through clenched teeth.

Slowly opening his eyes, Burnley looked directly at me again, and this time I felt like I was going to pass out. I was suddenly so tired, exhausted mentally and physically from the few days, that my body finally said enough was enough. I stumbled only slightly, still refusing to lower the gun, and noticed that Burnley was making his way down the hall, moving closer to me. I wanted to shout at him to stay away from me, I wanted to turn and run, as I should have earlier, but it felt like my feet were rooted to the spot. Within moments, he was standing right in front of me, the barrel of the gun poised and aimed right at the center of his smooth chest, over his heart. As he moved, the fabric of his shirt shifted slightly, and I could get a small glimpse of his thin, but yet strong torso peeking out from under the material. I wanted to reach out and slip my arms around his waist, I wanted to feel his body against mine, absorbing all the heat from my flesh. Reaching up, Burnley put his hand on my arm and pushed it down. I let the weapon clatter back down onto the floor. I couldn’t do it, and he knew it. I swallowed, trying to choke back these betraying emotions, as a single tear ran down my cheek. Much to my surprise, Burnley brought his fingers up to my face and wiped it away. “I am real, Dustin. A life was sacrificed for me to be flesh and bone again, it is my destiny to make the wrong things right… but I cannot do it alone.”

I was momentarily astounded by what I was hearing. Burnley, back from the dead standing right in front of me as alive as I was and wanting to do something unselfish. It had to be a trick. He turned to look at me with those terrible gray-green eyes that resembled his fathers in so many ways. I didn’t want to see him as he is now, a near perfect duplicate of his father; the man that I loved. I couldn’t bear to even compare the two, but still… somehow they both managed to evoke strange emotions, buried away deep inside of me whenever they were near. Just feeling the presence of the father and the son in my head was enough to overwhelm me. I wanted Burnley to be the terrible amber eyed monster that had torn my world apart. He had no right trying to play the part of hero and being a victim, just like the rest of us. He raped me, took me against my will and forced himself onto me to get revenge on his father as some sort of sick and twisted game that he was playing. I had to keep remembering that, I had to remember all the pain and anguish I felt after he was done with me and threw me down onto that hard cold floor and left me for dead. I was so ashamed of what had happened, of how I felt when those fingers were on my flesh, touching, caressing, delicately moving over the curves of my body. What happened was wrong, and I knew I had to stop torturing myself over it, but it was so hard, especially at night…when I would lay down next to Ben and see his face highlighted in the moonlight while he was asleep and see Burnley there. I was being confronted by conflicting emotions that I had no control over. I couldn’t get a grip on what I was feeling. Was it terror, panic, revulsion, fear… or something else? I found myself completely unable to form clear thoughts, let alone words. My silence must have irritated him, because I could feel his eyes boring into me, almost predatory, waiting to strike. I watched as his bare chest rose and fell when he took a deep breath under that shirt and spoke to me in a low tone. “You have to make a choice… help me, be at my side and help me save Prox….”

I curled my fingers up into the palm of my hands so hard that I could feel my fingernails biting into the flesh. The room was spinning. I didn’t want to help him. I wanted him to go away, out of my life forever. “OR?” I asked quietly.

Leaning in, Burnley brought his soft lips to my ear and whispered. “Or… I will fucking kill you right here. I will rip you apart with my bare hands, letting your feel each agonizing moment of pain, each drop of blood as it leaves your body. I will show you what it’s like to be on the brink of death, and feel it’s icy hand wrapping around your heart. You will know what it is like to wonder if your next breath will be the last, if this is the last moment of light that your eyes will ever see. And in the very end, as you are begging me for mercy… I will drag your useless carcass into the room over there and lock the door, leaving you to die alone as you had done to me.”

This was the Burnley that I remembered. His lips felt like butterfly wings fluttering over my skin. I wanted him to touch me again, just one more time, even if it meant death, I wanted to feel those wicked fingers burn though my flesh right into my soul. And at the same time, I wanted to push him away, take the gun and end his life and that mocking voice. I didn’t want to hear it anymore. His words were like snakes wrapping themselves around my head, squeezing, twisting, turning, making it difficult to think straight. “Why… why would you do this?”

He stepped back suddenly and as his body pulled away from me, I almost fell. My knees buckled and I leaned against the wall, trying to steady myself. Burnley turned his back and looked down the empty hall in front of him. “Because you are the reason that Brock is dead, and his soul his gone.”

“Not me!” I shouted back unexpectedly. I saw Burnley react slightly, his shoulders straightening up but he didn’t turn back around. “I am not the reason why Brock is dead. YOU ARE! He came back to be with you, he didn’t want to see you die alone! I pleaded with him, I begged him to stay… to come back to the Shallow Bay with us, but he wouldn’t listen. All he could think about was you. I don’t know what you did to him back at the FEC base, but it was enough to change him. He could have had a LIFE with us, a family to be with… but you took that all away from him when you brainwashed him with your words. You manipulated every single one of us, Burnley… but when it came to Brock, you just couldn’t help yourself, could you? You used him as a weapon against us, and even after you lost, and were on the verge of dying, you had to get the last laugh in and drag him back to you, as a slap in the face to us. No one will ever be truly capable of loving you, because you don’t know how to love. It wasn’t pre-programmed into your brain, or force fed to you through syringes, so therefore it’s just a useless emotion to you, one that lets you manipulate and control people better.” I could feel my heart beating furiously in my chest now. I didn’t know what I was doing, scolding Burnley like he was some sort of child, but I felt deep inside that he had to hear these things, he had to know the pain that his actions caused us. No one would ever dare speak back to him, fearing that their lives would be at risk, but at this moment in time, I didn’t care. My life would end soon anyway, along with everyone else on Prox. If I accomplished anything in the time I had left, it would be to tell Burnley the truth which was what someone should have done a long time ago. At least we would both die here, together, and that death would also bring about the end of feelings I had for him. “Turn around Burnley. It’s time that you faced the truth. I have no guilt for Brock dying, because it’s all your fault. He came back for you.”

I didn’t know why I was feeling so confrontational with Burnley. I think that deep inside, part of me hated and resented him for being here, back on Prox alive and well while Brock was dead. It should not have been Burnley that was gifted another chance, it should have been Brock and I wanted him to know that, to feel like he didn’t deserve to be alive. Precious seconds slipped by. The silence was deafening. I saw his head drop slightly. Had I gotten through to him? Was he standing before me, contemplating his miserable existence and wanting to repent? Saving Prox wouldn’t be enough. I wouldn’t let him ever forget the crimes he committed against us. Finally, he spoke up, his deep baritone voice shattering the silence. “You’re right, Bates.”

The lump in my throat subsided a little. It was a small victory, but one I felt that I truly deserved. I stood up against Burnley and came away a victor. No one else could ever say that. “I am glad that you finally accept the truth.”

Slowly, he turned back around. “Oh you are SO right, Dustin. I don’t deserve to be alive.” His voice was oozing with mockery and delight. “…and neither do you.” Before I could react, he sprang forward towards me. My eyes once again darted for the gun that I dropped, but it was too far away from me now. In a moment, he was upon me. His beautiful, delicate fingers went right for my throat, wrapping themselves around it as the momentum of his body carried me backwards towards the far wall. With a vicious snarl of rage, and a show of immense strength and power, he threw me against the cold concrete, lifting me up by my neck. My feet left the floor as I tried to pry his hands away desperately, my airway being crushed and constricted tighter than a noose with those slender fingers. I looked into his eyes, Ben’s eyes and saw myself there, struggling, fighting, trying anything I could to break free from him. My heart was pounding, threatening to explode in my chest. Moments earlier, I would have given anything to feel those fingers on my skin, and ironically I received exactly what I wanted. “You’re not above anyone else, Bates.” Burnley whispered to me. “Take a good long look at yourself, and those who you have lost. Each of them made the ultimate sacrifice for you, including Brock! You know damn well that he could not have gone back to the Shallow Bay and lived a ‘perfect’ life with you. You had made your choice to be with Benjamin, but as always, you were not content to be happy with just that. Part of you still loved and wanted Brock and refused to let him go. If he went back with you, he’d be torturing himself every day seeing you with Benjamin, and how could he look at your face without being able to love you?”

The pain in my chest almost unbearable now, I continued to struggle, only partly hearing Burnley’s voice now as the room started to go dark. I was quickly losing consciousness. He was choking me out. “Let… me…. Go…” I croaked, trying to avoid looking into those beautiful eyes of his. They were so much like Ben’s.

“You said that I need to face the truth. Well Bates, the truth is that there isn’t anyone left to make sacrifices for you… You’ve run out of options and now is the time for you to make the ultimate one.” My brain didn’t even have time to register the movement as Burnley’s arm arched back, yanking me away from the wall like a rag doll by my neck. All I could focus on was those fingers clamped onto my throat, blocking the air from getting into my lungs and making me nauseous. I thought I was going to choke on the bile that was rising up from my stomach and asphyxiate on it for a humiliating death. I didn’t have much time to worry about it though, because in the next second, he reversed his motion and slammed my body into the wall once again. The back of my head hit first, and I saw a bright flash of stars exploding in front of my face, then the spider web lines of pain as they radiated out from the back of my skull. I heard myself let out a low, guttural moan of agony and then a gasp of breath as Burnley’s fingers let go of me. My legs refused to support me anymore, and soon I found myself sinking down onto the floor. The bright white light started to fade, taking with it some of the pain, but my momentary comfort was short lived, as I realized that the darkness which I welcomed was closing in too fast. I tried to will myself to stand up, or speak, or just even move, but nothing would work. I was paralyzed with fear and terror. Burnley was standing over me. I couldn’t see or hear him, but I knew that he was there. I could feel him. ‘No, don’t touch me. Don’t let it happen again, not like this. I can’t… I can’t…’ There was a shift in the air around me, it was Burnley bending down. He grabbed hold of my jaw and tilted my head toward him with a stern yank.

“It only hurts just once, they’re only broken bones.”

Those were the last words I heard before everything suddenly went dark.

Scott swung his legs off the bed and grabbed for his jacket. He dismissed the medical staff hours ago, or what was left of them after making them remove all the monitors he was attached to. He was stable now, and there was no reason for them to watch over him, not while the Shallow Bay was dark and Prox was dying. He wanted them to be with their loved ones now. The storm outside still raged on, growing in intensity, beating against the thick walls of the base without mercy, while those inside huddled together with their families and loved ones for warmth. They had not seen the sun for days, and without another source of power, they would soon perish thanks to the FEC who had raped the planet of all it’s natural resources. The worst part of it all is that there was nothing he could to do stop it. Hope had brought him here, to this ill-fated place, and kept him here, but now there didn’t seem to be much of it left.

Slipping his jacket over his arms, Scott winced slightly, feeling the pull of the new stitches protest angrily against the sudden movement. His stomach felt like hamburger, his insides all muddled up, but he had dealt with pain before and knew that there was no sense in feeling sorry for himself. Slowly making his way through the Shallow Bay, the first thing he noticed was how calm everyone was. Families sat in the common rooms with their children bundled under layers of blankets together, reading stories or playing games to pass the time. They saw Scott walk by and waved casually to him. No one was in a panic. It seemed like they all had accepted what was coming to them, and this made him a little sad. The people of Prox deserved better than to have some big corporation come in and destroy their home, enslaving them and turning them into monsters. They deserved to live and thrive on the lush green planet that it once was, not sit here and slowly watch the sun fade away.

As Scott made his way through the halls, he soon found himself at the entrance of Lizzie’s garden. After the last incident, he ordered it sealed up and off limits to everyone, but today he noticed that the doors were open a little; enough for a thin person or a curious child to crawl through. Worried that someone might have wandered in, Scott pulled the heavy doors open and stepped into the dark glass tunnel that led inside. At one time, Lizzie had beautiful white roses with lush green vines that climbed up the sides, stretching high into the sunlight everywhere that you looked. Now there was nothing but brown, dead leaves and shattered glass that crunched underneath his boots as he walked onward. A shudder went down Scott’s spine, remembering the day when Benjamin stood here with Lizzie’s child in his arms, looking out into the nothing, deaf to her cries and pleas for him to not go. For Scott, it was the beginning of the end of Prox. He didn’t know how or why, but he suspected that as Benjamin succumbed to becoming the Shepherd of the Damned, he also damned Prox as well. The same darkness that seeped into his chest now covered the once beautiful blue skies as well, consuming the sun and plunging it into an eternal night.

At the end of the tunnel was the entrance to the garden. A wooden sign hung there, welcoming all with chipped purple and blue paint. It had only been a few short days since Benjamin and the others left, but to Scott, it felt like an eternity. Slowly making his way under the arch, Scott walked down the curvy, winding stone steps that had been carefully placed there by Thomas for Lizzie. The ‘steps’ were nothing more than bits of rubble and chunks of misshapen concrete that were left over from some of the original homes that had been built on Prox before the FEC came in and destroyed everything. Stubborn as ever, Lizzie insisted that nothing new be built for the garden. She wanted everything to have memory, and be a link to the past. Always sentimental, she refused to forget the places and people that meant so much to her.

Not quite sure why his wanderings brought him out to the garden, Scott continued to walk down the path, trying his best to avoid the dried remains of Lizzie’s beautiful white roses when something in the very back caught his attention. At first he thought that maybe it was a trick of the lights, perhaps a reflection of one of the safety lights against the sky and just decided to blow it off as nothing, but a second sighting made him stop in his tracks. Pausing near the back of the garden, Scott suddenly picked up the unmistakable scent of fresh roses, and a sharp chill permeated the air around him, dropping the already frigid temperature another 20 degrees. Looking around in the dim light, he finally saw the source of the flash of brilliant color that had caught his eye. Nestled among the broken stones and statues, entwined among the long thorns and leaves was one single red rose, still growing strong amidst all the death and decay, blooming brightly. Wincing slightly in pain from his wound, Scott made his way over to the flower and gazed at the perfect petals which held the tiny droplets of moisture from the early morning. They sparked brighter than dazzling diamonds set on a deep red velvet blanket of natural beauty. Lizzie’s hobby was botany, and no matter how hard she tried, no matter how many different forms of plants that she was able to coax into growing, she could only ever grow white roses. Thomas would tease her regularly that if she wanted colored ones, she would have to paint them herself, just like the red queen from Alice in Wonderland instructed her servants to do. It was quite ironic that here, at the end of Prox, Lizzie would finally have her red rose, but never get to see it.

Sighing quietly, Scott reached out for the bloom. He couldn’t let such a thing of beauty suffer in a dead garden, freezing and wilting alone like the rest of the plants without being enjoyed. He would take it inside, and hold onto it, keep it with him until the last moments came, as a tribute to Lizzie. Reaching out, his fingers had just brushed upon a soft petal when he heard a small voice call out.

“Daddy?”

Pulling his hand back, Scott turned to the side and saw his daughter, Ember standing in front of him. She was dressed in her favorite white dress with lace at the collar, a bright red sweater which brought out the brilliant highlights in her strawberry blond hair that was tied up in a loose ponytail at the back of her head. She smiled and set her deep blue eyes upon him, and Scott’s heart stopped for a moment. “Em? Is that really you? Am I dreaming?”

Ember shook her head, and the red ribbon in her hair swayed back and forth. “No daddy, you aren’t dreaming.” She answered in her small voice.

Scott ran over to her and dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. The wound in his stomach once again painfully reminded him that it was there, but he didn’t care. He closed his eyes and felt her small arms reach up and slip up over his back. She smelled like roses and tea cakes. Tears streamed down his eyes and splashed onto the cold concrete. She couldn’t be here, he knew that, but seeing her, holding her one more time was worth throwing away reality for. He held onto her for a long time, just happy to have his little girl back. After all that happened back on Earth, he needed something like this, a bright ray of hope to have before he lost everything. Sniffling, he pulled away from her, but held onto her tiny shoulders. “They told me that you were dead, but I knew better. I knew they had done something to you… I searched everywhere for you, I never gave up… and now you’re here!”

The smile on Ember’s face faded. “Daddy… I can’t stay. I have to go back.”

“What?” Scott pushed the hair away from her face. “No, baby you’re here now, you have to stay. We can be together again, you and I, just like back on Earth. Only this time, I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you. I will keep you safe.” 

“It’s okay Daddy. There are people taking care of me. They said that they will stay with me until you come for me. They are really nice. He teaches me about the stars, and she reads me bedtime stories every night. Sometimes we have tea parties.”

Scott slid his hands down and grabbed hold of Ember’s. “Listen Em, you belong with me. I came to Prox to find you, and now that I did, we can go home together okay?” Taking a deep breath, Scott felt his heart flutter. He was ready to lay down and accept his fate, but now… now he felt rejuvenated and had a will to live. His daughter was here, returned to him, and he wouldn’t give her up for anything.

Ember’s small fingers wiggled in Scott’s hands. “They said I can’t stay. It’s impossible. You have to come for me… but not yet. There’s something else for you to do here first.”

“Who? Who has you Ember?” Scott gripped hold of her hands hard. “Tell me where you are and I will come and get you. I don’t care if I have to walk out in the storm right now… I will find you.”

“Daddy.” Ember smiled. “You can’t find me yet. Someone else needs you more than me right now.”

Scott stared at his daughter in confusion. “Who… who could possibly need me? Benjamin and Dustin left a long time ago, Lizzie and Thomas are gone…” He lowered his head as a wave of sadness overcame him. “I couldn’t even protect Tristan, the most important thing I was entrusted with. I let him go. No Em, there’s nothing here for me on Prox. You are all that I have.” His voice trailed off. “Except…” Scott’s mind drifted off, and he suddenly remembered the vision that he was shown, Travis standing near a computer console somewhere on Prox, looking haggard and worn. In the midst of all that had happened, he had forgotten about his best friend and instantly felt guilty about it. “Travis. He’s still here, but I don’t know where. Prox is a huge planet, he could be anywhere Ember. Listen to me, you are more important than he is, you know that. I will always put you first. I want to be with you.”

Ember’s blue eyes flashed in the dim light. “He loves you daddy, and you love him too.” She reached up and put her hand on the center of Scott’s chest. A soothing warmth radiated out from her small fingertips and filled his body with serenity. “Don’t be afraid to admit it. It’s okay. But… he’s in trouble. Unless you do something, he’s going to die.”

“What!? Ember tell me where he is, I will go to him!”

Lifting her hand off his chest, Ember looked at her father, there were traces of tears in the corner of her eyes. “You won’t make it in time. He’s too far… but there is another way for you to save him, if you are willing to do it.”

“I’ll do anything I have to. Travis is here because of me anyway. I owe it to him. Whatever it takes. Please Em. Tell me.”

Leaning in, Ember kissed her father’s cheek and whispered. “Let me go, daddy. Set me free.”

Scott broke down and started crying. “I can’t do that. You’re my little girl. You mean more to me than anything else in the universe. The stars could go dark and I wouldn’t care, as long as I have you in my life, I will be happy. I don’t need or want anything or anyone else!”

“You don’t have to stop loving me… just let me go. Stop looking for a ghost, start living your life.” Ember’s voice rang out in the garden, sounding like a beautiful chiming bell, striking right at Scott’s heart. “If you keep holding onto me, you’re going to lose him… he was willing to give up everything for you, daddy… can you do the same for him?”

Wiping the tears away from his eyes, Scott tried to ignore the lingering pain from the wound in his stomach that was now winding it’s way up to his heart. “I don’t want to lose you… or him… I can’t lose you both.” Sadness filled him. He had said those exact same words once before, a very long time ago. He tried to look up at her, but no matter how he hard tried, his vision became blurred by the tears that wouldn’t stop coming.

A soft expression fell over Ember’s face. She placed her small hand back in his. Scott could feel the frigid coldness emanating from her skin. Looking into her deep blue eyes, he could see nothing but pure love and innocence there, he wanted to hold onto his little girl forever. Taking a deep breath, he pulled her close to him again and held her against his chest. The smell of roses and sweet icing was almost overwhelming. The soft satin red ribbon brushed over his cheek. It was at that moment when he realized that he had to let her go. The FEC had taken his daughter years ago, and all he was holding onto now was a memory of what she used to be. He couldn’t go find her, because she was always with him, safe and sound inside of his heart. Lost in the sweet embrace, she whispered to him. “I want you to be happy Daddy. Please be happy, for me.”

“I will.” Scott replied, closing his eyes. It felt like he was losing her all over again. “I promise.” Slowly, she started to vanish, disappearing right from his arms. The chill in the air started to fade, leaving him kneeling down on the cold stone path, alone and crushed. Sitting back on his legs, he looked to where the beautiful red rose once was, and noticed that it was withered and faded, it’s color deepened to a dark garish brown. Reaching up, he gently touched the petals and they crumpled and turned to dust which slowly started to drift down to the floor in front of him. His eyes went to the skylight window high overhead where the shimmering flakes of snow fluttered down. “Please Ember. Save Travis. I need him.”

I woke up to the sound of water dripping. It was cold and damp, and very dark. It wasn’t the kind of cold where your body would start to shiver to keep itself warm, no, this was a darkness that seeped right in, sapping the strength out of your bones and your breath from your lungs. I was aware of the fact that I was laying down, on some sort of soft bed, but much to my surprise, my arms and legs wouldn’t move. In a panic, I yanked my arm sharply and realized that I was strapped down, confined to a hospital bed. “Oh my God.” I whispered to myself. “Not again.”

“God?” A familiar voice shot back, echoing in the dark room. “Not quite, but it will do for now.” I heard the rustle of footsteps near me, and then suddenly a overhead lamp switch on, momentarily blinding me. It was instinct to reach up and shield my eyes from the harsh light, but all I managed to do was pull the strap tighter around my wrist. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I looked around to see that I was in the medical wing of Dawn, in one of the wards were there were several beds lined up along each wall with curtains between them to give the patients a bit of privacy. “Oh how rude of me.” The voice spoke again, mocking, let me get that light out of your eyes so we can see each other while we have an intelligent conversation.” The person standing near the bed took hold of the lamp, and a loud, rusty protest of the metal, swung it in reverse, bathing him in the light. The moment he came into view, I felt a chill run down my spine. It was Burnley. I didn't expect it to be anyone else. “Now then…” he said, moving the light back to its normal position. “Are you ready to talk to me Bates? Or will I have to bash your head in again?”

“Burnley. Why don’t you just kill me and get it over with? I don’t have anything more to say to you.” I mumbled. Even though I was trying to act calm, deep inside my mind was running at a frantic pace, flooding me with memories of the last time that he had me confined to a gurney. It was the worst moment of my entire life, and I didn’t want to go through that again.

Sitting down on the bed next to me, Burnley crossed his legs and casually lit up a cigarette. I couldn’t help but to wonder where he found a pack of cigarettes in a messenger base. As he exhaled and blew the smoke in my direction, I started to cough, and he laughed. “Kill you? No space boy, not quite yet. I need you, just as much as you need me. Right now it would appear that I have the upper hand, and whether you like it or not, you’re going to help me.”

I kept my eyes trained on the ceiling. I didn’t even want to look at him. He repulsed me. I couldn’t stand to see the snarky look on his face. “Why the fuck would I help you, Burnley?”

“Because I know a way to save Benjamin.”

I turned to look at him, astonished. For the first time as my eyes fell on him, I didn’t see the arrogant, cocky man young that he became in the absence of his father, but instead, a regular person who was being genuine and sincere. I took the change of demeanor cautiously, with a grain of salt. Burnley was known to lure people into a false sense of security, and I didn’t want to fall for it. “Why do you even care what happens to Ben, Burnley? I seem to remember how much you hated him, and if you’ve forgotten, I can show you the scars to prove it. You RAPED me, you humiliated me, all in an effort to piss him off and send him into a fit of rage. Now you’re telling me that you want to save him? I don’t believe it. Just because you came back from the dead or wherever the fuck you were doesn’t mean you get a clean slate. I know that you’re still a heartless bastard who would take the opportunity to fuck everyone over for your own selfish needs the moment it presented itself. So save your breath. I don’t want to have any part in your plans.”

He flicked the ashes of his cigarette onto the floor and pushed the hair out of his eyes. I hated watching him, he was too perfect. “Dustin…do you know what it means to become the Shepherd of the Damned?” he said in a quiet, almost passive voice.

I rolled my eyes at him. “Of course I do! I’ve been through it before with him, but you would never know about that. I’ve seen it first hand, I've been there and experienced it all with him… but you forget, that I was the one who brought him through it. It was my love for him that saved him, and he was able to finally able to shed his wings and become mortal again.”

Uncrossing his legs, Burnley leaned forward. It was eerie and unsettling not to see the flecks of amber in his eyes that I was so used to seeing. Instead of that cold, killer gaze, there were deep pools of gray green color, a sea of intensity that I wanted to drown myself in. “Love? Do you think that love is going to save him this time? You’re wrong. Let me fill you in on a few things… the Shepherd of the Damned isn’t just some romantic winged angel stepping off the pages of a sappy novel. No, not by a long shot. The Shepherd is something much worse than that. It’s a curse, a disease if you will that chooses it’s victims wisely and infects them with it’s darkness, devouring them from the inside out, changing them. Once it has chosen it’s host, it becomes part of it giving him incredible power and immortality, forever, until that person dies. It found my father a long time ago, and when that happened, Benjamin welcomed it. When the Shepherd of the Damn claims a soul, that person becomes part of them, making them stronger and stronger. It absorbs all that they were and uses it to gain strength… after a while, that power becomes addicting, and the host starts to crave more and more of it, making him the perfect killing machine.” Burnley’s voice dropped and his eyes drifted off to something else in the room and as he spoke, it was almost like he wasn’t there anymore. It bothered me how much he knew about this. “Without the constant influx of souls, it starts to eat away at it’s host, devouring his soul and tormenting him with intense pain and agony until it becomes so bad that the Shepherd has no other choice but to kill again to until the pain goes away. Day after day this goes on… for endless nights, the craving, the hunger, the want for more power. It’s an endless addiction that you can’t break free from…but there’s something more… it becomes who you are, what you are, it becomes your lover and your constant companion. You are no longer the person you once was, that person no longer exists. It’s the only thing that hears you crying in the night alone and wraps it’s dark wings around you to dry your tears.” Burnley paused dramatically now, knowing that he had my full attention. I was his captive audience. I wanted him to keep talking, I wanted to sink down into that velvet voice and let it consume me. Noticing my interest, he took a drag off the cigarette and started to speak again. “Benjamin died. He sacrificed his soul for you, and became mortal, but the Shepherd was always there with him, even in his new life here on Prox. It wasn’t willing to let him go, and he wasn’t willing to let it go either. It lay dormant for so long, sleeping within his veins, waiting for the perfect moment to be released. Of course, Benjamin didn’t even know it was there... It had to take a moment of intense rage, anger, and agony to wake it again, and even then if that happened, Benjamin could resist it. It wasn’t that strong.”

I watched the smoke circle around Burnley’s head. Even if I wasn’t restrained, I would have simply sat there and listened to him talk. There was something about him now that drew me towards him more than ever. I was mesmerized, entranced by his subtle motions and words. “Then what was it that made him turn? It had to be something pretty powerful.” Burnley looked directly at me, or rather through me, and then I knew. He didn’t answer, he didn’t have to. I did it for him. “It was the Eden drug. When you transfused your blood into Ben to save his life, it had traces of the Eden drug in it! That is what the catalyst was. Brock said that it affected each person differently. It weakened him just enough to let the Shepherd step in and take over.”

At the sound of Brock’s name, I saw Burnley visibly wince. “Not traces of Eden drug, Bates… I injected him with an entire bottle of it before he even attained consciousness. He got a massive dose of it right from the source. Pure, undiluted, unfiltered Eden drug, right out of the bottle, courtesy of the FEC Corporation.”

My eyes widened. “You did WHAT?”

Burnley stood up and walked around my bed, sliding his hand along the rail. “I wasn’t sure if the blood transfusion would work in time, and I wanted him alive.” He noticed the shocked expression on my face and rolled his eyes. “Bates, please… has someone ever wronged you so badly that you wanted to make them pay? You wanted to torture them over and over again just to make yourself feel good?”

“Yeah Burnley….that would be you.” I said.

He shrugged. “Whatever. ” He started pacing around my bed. “So the Eden drug woke up the Shepherd of the Damned, and almost immediately it started whispering things to him. I don’t think that the Shepherd was ever completely evil, it was a benevolent entity that once collected the souls of dying people and helped them transition to a higher consciousness. Over time though, the endless years of fighting those souls that didn’t want to go, forcing them to move on got quite trying and it gradually resorted in taking them in whatever manner was easiest. Now, knowing that, add the Eden drug into the mix and suddenly you’ve got this ‘avenging angel’ that is all powerful and lusts after the souls of the damned. I can imagine how hungry it must have been, ravenous, after all of those years stashed away in the back of his head like that. The Shepherd stayed there for all that time waiting, because... it became attached to Ben, drawn to him, and dare I say it... his lover. Anyway… things start to be set in motion and the wheel begins to turn. Soon, the perfect opportunity comes about for the Shepherd of the Damned to strike.. Benjamin, confused and upset, under the Shepherd's influence steals a child, the ‘perfect host’ and brings it here… a crime against nature has been committed, a soul is reborn and the sun goes dark. All coincidence? No.” Burnley stopped and eased himself onto the corner of my bed. I felt the mattress sink down under the weight of his body. His hand brushed mine and I pulled away. “All of Prox is in the dark, it is dying… and with it, it’s people. What do you think will happen when those people finally die… what will happen to their souls?”

I became instantly terrified. “Holy shit…He’s going to consume them.”

“Exactly.” Burnley said. “And after he has all that power, no one will ever be able to stop him. He will continue to live on, forced into an existence of addiction, forever lost to the darkness. Benjamin Burnley will cease to exist. Only the Shepherd will remain.”

I was aware of how close Burnley was to me now. I could feel the heat from his skin, and see the rise and fall of his chest as he spoke. It was hard to think straight when he was this close. I had to take a moment and take in what he was saying. Ben was in danger of losing himself and it was all my fault. I should never have left him alone back at the Shallow Bay. Deep inside, I knew that there was something wrong with him, some inner demon that he was battling, but I chose to turn a blind eye to it in exchange for my own happiness. Thomas was right; I should never have gone with him to find out what happened with Brock. I was still too emotionally attached to him to be of any real help, and me abandoning Ben to chase after a ghost only made things worse. I could never say how sorry I was to him, or to Lizzie now. That privilege was taken away from me, along with their lives. Suddenly, I remembered something that Lizzie had said to me before she died. I looked to Burnley. “Lizzie said that we shouldn’t save Ben, that he should remain the Shepherd of the Damned. Why would she say such a thing?”

Burnley smirked at me. “Do you honestly think that she was in her right mind when she was speaking to you? Did you not see the horrible thing that she became right before she died and the atrocity that she committed? Think back on it and tell me that she was sane at that point.”

“Then you know what happened to her… and to Rhiannon?” I asked. I don’t know why I put the question to him, but part of me wanted to see his reaction, hear what he said about the gruesome way that his mother died.

Standing up, Burnley walked away from my bed and turned away from me. I noticed that he did this whenever he didn’t want me to see his face, or see the expression on it. Could it possibly be that he was showing real, true emotions now and not wanting to let on to how he was feeling? Did he consider it a weakness? This new person that he was becoming was confusing to me, and I didn’t know how to act. It was becoming harder and harder to hate him when he wasn’t being the homicidal lunatic that I had known. I had to handle this very carefully, if he had changed, then I didn’t want to be the one to push him back to his old ways, but I also still had to be on guard. If anyone could save Ben, it would be him.

“Yes. I saw everything that happened. It’s standard procedure to have all of these bases wired with a monitoring system. If you’re asking me for validation of what you did to Lizzie, you won’t get it. I believe that everyone chooses their own path in life. Lizzie didn’t believe in herself, and therefore she succumbed to the very thing that she feared the most. You saw what became of her and acted as you wanted to. I am not going to stand here and pat you on the back for murdering her…yes, that is exactly what it was… call it mercy, or release, whatever you want, the fact is that you killed her. I am not going to stand here and hear your explanations. I don’t need or want them.” Burnley turned his head slightly and I could see a slight look of sadness on his face now. “As for my mother… I never had any love for that woman. Not a single drop. She may have been the one to give me life, but that is all. I hated her for bringing me back to life and putting me back on this planet… alone.”

Then all of a sudden, it dawned on me. The true reason why Burnley wanted to help Ben was suddenly so clear. It wasn’t anything about saving the planet, or saving himself from darkness. In the short time that they were together, Burnley had truly fallen in love with Brock. I thought that Burnley was just using him, pretending to love him in order to manipulate him like the rest of us, but since Burnley came back, I could see a change in him every single time that Brock’s name was brought up. It changed him. This wasn’t just some passing infatuation or game he was playing… Burnley was in love with Brock… but now that he was gone, the realization hit him that he would be alone. Ben would be the only family he had left, the only thing to cling to and hold onto. The FEC and the Eden drug had masked any true emotions that Burnley could have ever felt, and now, coming back to life, he was starting to experience what being alive and really living was. Ben was his last lifeline. He needed his father, even though he wouldn’t admit it. I took a deep breath. “What do you need me to do?” I asked quietly.

Turning around, he reached over to a small crash cart pushed to the side of the bed and wheeled it over. He pulled a white sheet off it, exposing a tray of syringes, and plastic tubing. “Benjamin’s Eden saturated blood was the vehicle for the darkness to enter him. It is different when used on each person, and for Ben, it weakened him to the point where he couldn’t fight. My plan is simple. The Shepherd of the Damned hasn’t completely taken him yet, he’s still partially human. We lure him in here, sedate him and then do a transfusion. We take as much of that tainted blood out of him as we can, bringing him to the point of death and stopping his heart. At that point, we have to act fast; we will only have a few minutes before brain death kicks in. Using clean blood, we put back what we’ve taken out and resuscitate him. It’s easy with all the medical equipment here. Because he technically ‘died’ the Shepherd of the Damned will go dormant, or possibly leave him altogether. Either way, with the drug out of his system, he will have a fighting chance against it. And of course, there’s another reason for him to fight…” Burnley stopped for a moment. “It’s you.”

I stared at the medical instruments gleaming in the lamp light. Burnley was counting on Ben still being in love with me, and I felt awful about it. He didn't know the troubles that Ben and I were going through right before I left the Shallow Bay. He didn't know about the fights or long nights sleeping alone in a empty bed. I wanted to tell him, but it was pointless and I was ashamed of it. Burnley probably had something else up his sleeve anyway, he was clever like that.“There’s another reason why you need me.” I sighed. “Just go ahead and say it. I know me just being here isn’t going to save Ben, you said that earlier yourself. Tell me, Burnley what else is there?”

If he noticed my hesitation, but did not call me on it, but continued to gently explain his plan instead. I assumed that it wasn't that important to him after all. “The supply of blood here stored at Dawn is completely useless. The inhabitants of Prox have an entirely different chemical composition to their DNA than those from Earth. When you combine the two together, both fight for dominance, thus creating a ton of other medical issues which sends the body into shock. Eventually the two can become one, but it takes time, and a very healthy host… and sadly we don’t have either of those at our disposal. If we transfused Prox blood into Benjamin in the weakened state, there’s a chance he won’t have the strength to fight, and we won’t be able to bring him back. That’s where you come in.” Burnley explained. I was amazed at how perfectly ‘normal’ he was at the moment. I wasn’t used to seeing this.

“Then why don’t you use your own blood? You’re Ben’s son. That’s closer than I could ever be.” A random thought crossed my head and I found myself saying it out loud before I could even think much about it. “Unless you’ve already shot up on the Eden drug.”

Burnley grabbed hold of the metal tray on the crash cart and threw it across the room with a sudden force, sending it crashing into a far wall where it landed with a dull thud. The medical instruments dropped down onto the floor, each pinging with a loud metallic sound as they hit the concrete. He came over to the edge of the bed and grabbed me by the front of my shirt, lifting my body slightly off the bed. The straps at my wrists strained and pulled at the bones in my hands, almost crushing them. “You have some fucking nerve, Bates. How dare you accuse me of something like that, at a time like this? I came to you asking for your help and this is what you are giving me in return? Who is the arrogant one now hmm? All your friends are dead, I am all that you have left and you have the audacity to question my motives? You are a fucking piece of shit.” He gave my body a shake, and I could feel the bones in my back start to bend in unnatural angles. “I don’t need your permission. I can knock you out and take every drop of your blood that I want. I’ll save Benjamin myself, and when he’s back to himself, I’ll tell him how you chose to be selfish and abandon him when he needed it the most.”

Burnley let go of me and I sunk back down onto the bed, feeling miserable. I had no idea that my careless words would hurt him so much. I couldn’t take any more of this strange, new Burnley. He was even more confusing and unpredictable than ever before. “Burnley, listen…. I….”

Holding a hand out in the air, he cut me off. “Don’t say anything else to me, Bates. Just sit there and keep your goddamn mouth shut. While I think.” His words were scolding and cold, but I felt as though I deserved them. Silence fell over us once again, and I wished that he would just kill me. I couldn’t keep playing this game with him. After some time, he approached the bed again and bent down to pick up a scalpel from the floor where it had fallen. I finally pushed him too far and he snapped. He was going to kill me. Reaching out, he grabbed hold of my hand and held it tightly. I didn’t feel anything for him at that moment except for fear. He had the look of a madman in his eyes and I was trapped, unable to even fight against him. “I should have known that you would only care for yourself. You don’t deserve Benjamin.”

I saw a flash of silver and felt a tug on my wrist. He was going to bleed me out, just for spite. I waited for the feeling of the steel bite into my flesh, but none came. Letting go of my arm, he threw the curtain open that separated the beds and walked away, his boots echoing every step. As soon as he was gone, I lifted my arm slightly and noticed that it came away from the side of the bed freely. The strap that held me down had been cut. I was free. I rubbed my injured skin for a moment and then quickly set upon unbuckling the other silver clasps. I didn’t know where Burnley had gone off to, but I knew that I had to get out of there before it was too late. I sprang to my feet and threw open the curtain and stumbled out into the room. It was very dark, the only illumination coming from a few flashing overhead lights with dying blubs. I didn’t know which way to go. I took a chance and just ran down the center of the room, hoping to find the exit. I only made it a few feet when I slipped on something and I lost my balance. I grabbed hold of the nearest bed and steadied myself as quickly as I could. As soon as I got my bearings, I glanced down to see a massive stain of something dark spilling out onto the floor all around me. Suddenly I got a whiff of the unmistakable scent of copper and I knew what I had just stepped in. The entire floor all around me was covered in a massive pool of drying blood. I put my hand over my mouth to stop myself from shrieking. Holding onto the bed rail with white knuckles, I caught sight of Burnley a few feet away, standing there with his shirt open as usual, his hands casually in his pockets, watching me.

“This isn’t going to stop, Bates. He’s going to keep killing until we’re all dead and he is consumed with darkness.” Burnley turned to the bed where I had myself propped up and I followed his gaze to see that it wasn’t empty, there was a blood stained sheet covering a body on it.

The palm of my hand holding onto the rail started to sweat. “Who is that?” I asked, not really wanting to know.

Burnley did not answer. He walked over to me, through the puddle of blood and grabbed hold of the sheet, pulling it back with great care. I wasn’t sure of who it was, there was so much blood and gore covering his face that the features were almost unrecognizable. The first thing that I noticed was the spiky blond hair which was saturated with brain matter and bone fragments that had been the result of a close range shot to the center of the head with a high powered weapon. I took a moment to look closely at his face, frozen forever in a moment of shock and astonishment as death took him. My hand started to shake. Burnley picked up something from underneath the blanket and handed it to me. It was a pair of black rimmed plastic glasses. The mangled corpse laying on the bed in front of me was that of Keith Wallen. I turned around, away from Burnley and started to vomit onto the floor. I couldn’t take the sight of all of the blood and brains spilling out onto the pillow like that. It was too much. Once again, it was my fault that he was dead. I sent him out to find medical supplies for Shaun and inevitably to his death. I did not want to admit to myself, that Burnley was right… but he was. Everyone around me, all my friends were dying, and there I was, standing strong through it all, completely untouchable. After my stomach emptied its contents onto the floor, I wiped at the corner of my mouth with my hand. “Did Ben do that to him?” I asked.

I heard the soft rustle of the sheet behind me as Burnley covered Keith back up again. “Does it really matter? It’s just another useless death that didn’t need to happen.” Stepping up behind me, I felt Burnley move in close and lower his voice. “My mother… she murdered Lizzie’s child, baby Benjamin in cold blood. She ripped his little heart out and crushed it in the palm of her hand, all so that I could be reborn. You’re right, my blood is tainted, but not with the Eden drug. I have Prox blood in my DNA. My soul was forced into baby Benjamin’s body and twisted into what it is now. Someone else died so that I could live. It’s a terrible feeling, knowing that someone ceased to exist just so that you could be alive.” Burnley placed his hand on my shoulder and I cringed. His fingers felt like fire burning through my shirt. “There’s only two things you can do at this point, Dustin. One is lay down and die with the others. Accept your fate for what it is and forget how much they sacrificed for you… or, you can do as I have chosen to do, and stand up and fight to make things right. There might be nothing much left of this planet, but so many people gave up everything that they had to protect it.” His hand moved from my shoulder down across my back and came to rest on my hip. Those slender fingers fit perfectly in the curve of my body and I couldn’t help to notice the sudden rush of excitement that ran through me. “I know for a fact that we were never meant to be the heroes of this story, but sure enough, I am going to fight like hell until the last breath of life leaves this body.” Arching his fingers, he spun me around and soon I found that I was face to face with him, gazing into those beautiful eyes, Ben’s eyes. “This is your last chance… Bates. Stand with me, or walk away from me. It’s your choice.”

I clenched my hand into a fist at my side and forced myself to keep breathing. Why the hell was I feeling like this now? I tore my gaze away from him, meaning to look away and found myself staring at his lips. He confused me so much. In the middle of death all around us, I couldn’t help but to feel attracted to him for some odd reason. He raped me; I hated him… or was it something else that I was feeling? He was waiting on me again, expecting an answer. I should have turned around and walked out of that room. I should have refused his offer and found another way to save Ben… but I didn’t… and instead, I made the biggest mistake of my life. I leaned forward and brought my lips to his, forcing a kiss onto him. Burnley didn’t react at first, and that gave me hope. With my lips still touching his, I patiently waited for him to return the sentiment, to wrap his arms around me and devour me with an all-consuming embrace…but it didn’t happen. Instead, he put his hands on my shoulders and pushed me violently away from him. I stumbled backwards, my feet slipping in the still damp blood. I grabbed hold of the bed rail and looked back at him, suddenly filled with fear.

Burnley looked utterly disgusted. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand as if the kiss left a bad taste in his mouth. He took a step over to me and jammed his finger into my chest. “Don’t you ever fucking try anything like that again. No one touches me. Ever. ” Walking away, he pushed me slightly to the side and started putting together the instruments that he would need for the transfusion. I didn’t know what to say to him, I felt so embarrassed.

Travis was starting to sweat. Yanking off his jacket, he it threw down onto the floor and rolled up his shirt sleeves which were already soaked through. The heat from the fire in the next room was becoming almost unbearable; it would only be a matter of moments before the thick glass that separated the observation room from the viewing area where he was would crack. He went over to the door leading out to the hall and tried to pull on it in vain, hoping that maybe the lock would short circuit and release, but it was not meant to be. Tugging with all his might, Travis discovered that the electronic lock was securely bolted, and no amount of physical force would budge it. Hurrying over to the computer, he tapped his fingers on a few keys, but it remained silent and dark, broken beyond repair. Locked in a small room, with no way out, Lizzie had doomed Tristan by trapping him and taking away the teleport device that he had. His mission here on Prox wasn’t complete yet, and now it never would be, he would perish in this abandoned base, and no one would even know what happened to him, not even Scott, who was the reason he was here in the first place. Cursing to himself, Travis picked up the chair from the desk and threw it at the locked door in a fit of rage. There had to be another way out, he couldn’t die like this. Wiping away the sweat from his brow that had started to seep into his eyes, he made his way back over to the large glass window and looked at the room beyond, totally engulfed in flames. The bodies of the Carnivores that Aaron and Rhiannon had collected and kept alive there had been long since incinerated, their flesh and bones reduced to nothing but ash. The flames consumed everything in their path, licking their ways up the walls and burning high up into the ceiling. As he watched, a small crack started to appear in the corner of the window. The gentle, delicate noise that it made sounded like ice on a frozen lake shattering when it was stepped on. He took a step back as the crack grew wider and wider. The window could shatter at any moment. Backing up, he went to stand against the far wall of the room, placing his back against the cooler concrete. The heavy stones felt good against his warm skin. Slowly, he let his body sink down, until he was sitting on the floor.

Why was this happening to him? Why couldn’t things be much simpler? All he ever wanted from life was to be left alone to love, live and write music. It wasn’t just for Scott that Travis made the decisions which led down the path to where he was now; he did it for Ember too. Even though he didn’t get to spend much time with his best friends’ daughter, somehow he still managed to make a connection to the little girl, and love her as much as he would have loved his own. Remembering her bright smile as she stood behind Scott when they Skyped together, Travis became angry. Angry for himself and angry for the situation that he was in. No one was coming to save him, he would have to do it himself. One way or another he would have to get out of here, and fast.

Pulling himself back up to his feet, Travis felt his lungs start to close in on him, choking off his air way with the noxious smoke that was now seeping in through the growing crack in the observation glass. He knew that he had only minutes left to live, and he had to make each one of them count. Ripping off the hem of his shirt, he quickly wrapped it around his nose and mouth, in an attempt to block out at least some of the smoke. Giving the fabric a quick yank behind his head, he secured it in place and then found the chair that he had thrown at the door earlier. Picking it up, he held it out straight in front of him, with the metal bars extended and thrust it against the door. The first impact was hard enough that it almost jarred the chair right out of his hands, but it wasn’t enough to even put a dent in the door. Gripping it even tighter, he took a few steps back, and then lunged forward with it again. There was a loud metallic bang as the chair and the door collided but nothing else happened. Pausing for a moment to get a better grip on the office furniture and catch his breath, Travis noticed now that the crack in the glass had expanded and now that horrid, noxious smoke was pouring in from more than one spot behind him. Taking a deep breath, he put his hand over his mouth and took a deep breath from underneath the cloth and immediately began to cough. This was it. If he didn’t manage to get the seal on the door broken, he wouldn’t have time left to try it again. It was a last ditch effort. The smoke was spilling in, eating away at all the oxygen left in the room, ticking away at the precious moments that he had left. For a final time, Travis gripped the chair, his knuckles white and his palms sweating. Swallowing hard and taking small breaths, he slammed the chair into the door where it collided with a loud thud. Gazing dully at the sight before him, Travis could see that he had put a small dent in the safety seal. His last ditch effort worked! If he could damage it a little bit more, the safety override would be broken, and then he could manually open the door. The thick, acrid smoke swirled all around him now, burning his eyes and making it almost impossible to see. The seconds were ticking away now, faster and faster. For the final time, he grabbed the chair and slammed it in into the door, one, two, three, four, five, six times, each time silently praying that the door would disengage. Sweat poured down his face, mixing with his tears as he struggled. He had to get free, he needed to see Scott just one more time before he died, he didn’t even care that he hated him, he just wanted to tell him that he loved him. Travis’s efforts were futile and short lived. Soon, overcome with the smoke, he found that the chair’s weight had grown dramatically, and he no longer had the strength lift it. On the last thrust into the door, he let it go and it clatter down onto the floor, a useless instrument. He pulled the fabric down away from his face and let out a loud scream, kicking the chair out of his way and throwing himself repeatedly against the steel door. His body hit it over and over, rattling and bruising him right down to his bones. Even though there were several chunks taken out now, the safety seal refused to give way and the door wouldn’t budge. In a last ditch effort, he leaned against the cold steel and started to pound on it with his fists. The tears that were streaming down his dirty face were warm and ran down staining the front of his shirt with tiny droplets of grime and grease. Exhausted, in extreme distress and exhausted, Travis finally gave up, and sunk down to the floor in front of the door, gasping for breath. This was it. He had come to Prox under false pretenses, being used and coerced into doing something that he didn’t want to do, all in an effort to save a life, and here he was, at the end of things, losing his own. Closing his eyes, he counted the seconds in between each breath that he took. Those precious seconds grew shorter and shorter, as each time he inhaled, he could only get a few gasps of clean air in. He would never write music again, and he would never get to see Scott again to tell him that he was sorry. Resting his head against the steel door, Travis’s body was wracked with a coughing fit as he struggled for breath. With his last breath of air, he whispered. “I'll always fight for you.” He closed his eyes just as the glass of the observation window in the far end of the room exploded, sending chunks of glass and other shrapnel flying into the air. A stray piece managed to find its way over to Travis and just graze his cheek, cutting through his skin like a razor and drawing a few drops of blood. He wanted to reach up and wipe his face clean, but it was of no use, he couldn’t move. The only thing he could feel now was the intensity of the raging fire, making its way through the room towards him, consuming everything in its path. A small smile crept over his face, and he thought about the little girl whose life he wanted to save. An ember is something that could be the beginning or ending of things, and in Travis’s case, it was the end, and now finally, he was ready to accept it. The fire raged and crackled around him, licking at his legs and boots. It was so warm, so different from the world outside. The pressure and pain in his chest was overwhelming now, and he finally decided it was time. With his eyes still closed, he thought about his music, and Scott… a small smile came across his dirty face, and then everything went dark.  
e cHe

Tristan rubbed his eyes. He didn’t know how long he had been driving for, but it was imperative that he keep going. He had to make it to Dawn as quickly as possible if he were to save Prox. With the sun gone, there would only be a few meager hours left before all the power supply at the Shallow Bay would be consumed, and then the darkness would set in, systematically taking out every living thing on the planet. They would all freeze to death. He refused to let that happen. There was something inside that screamed at him and picked at his brain, telling him over and over that he had to do the right thing; he was the only one capable of making a change now. The burden fell heavily on his shoulders. He clutched the crescent moon amulet that he wore on his chest, close to his heart with trembling fingers. Somehow the tiny piece of silver comforted him and gave him hope. He knew that his father was dead, and he presumed his mother as well, but still he drove on and pushed the grief to the back of his mind. This wasn’t the time or place for mourning. That would come later, after the bastard Burnley was dead and the sunlight restored. He wasn’t afraid of taking drastic measures to save his planet, it was his fate to do so. The only thing that frightened him was the knowledge in the back of his head that Burnley’s soul had been forced into his brother’s body, and killing him meant that he would have to kill his own twin. When the time came, he had to remember that even though they shared the same blood, baby Ben was gone and all that remained was the ruthless son of a bitch that was hell bent on destroying Prox. Gripping the steering wheel tighter, he slammed his foot down onto the accelerator, sending the vehicle speeding at break neck speeds through the snow and ice. Throwing caution and his own safety to the wind, Tristan hurried toward his destination, thinking about how relieved he would feel once Burnley was dead. He drove on through the night, with murderous intentions leading the way.

The room was terribly, terribly cold. One by one the computers in Dawn were shutting down, in effort to save precious energy and divert it to the more important systems. I took a seat on the edge of the bed and watched as Burnley drew the curtain on the gurney across from me where Keith’s body was. I couldn’t bear to look at his bloody corpse any longer, with that terrified and shocked expression on his face. I wasn’t sure if it was Ben who killed him, or Burnley, or even someone else that could possibly still be here at Dawn, but it didn’t matter because I was placing blame on myself for what happened. I was the one who sent him out to his death, even though he wanted to stay with his friend Shaun, I insisted that he go and find the medical supplies, I was the one who put his feet on the path that led him here, and ultimately to his death. I hoped that with the curtain drawn, I could push some of the ill feelings away and deal with them later, but that was not the case. Burnley walked around the room collecting the equipment that he needed for the transfusion and all I could think about was Keith, laying cold and dead right across from me. The way I felt at that moment, I could have easily laid down right next to him and let the darkness take me too. It would be so easy just to forget everything for a while and go to sleep.

“Take your shirt off.” I looked up to see Burnley standing near the foot of the bed, next to his refilled crash card of medical supplies. In his hand, he held a bunch of wires and electrodes. He hadn’t said a single word to me since that awkward kiss, which I now regretted even more because it further complicated the situation. I didn’t want to be helping him. It felt wrong, but if he was right, and there was a way to save Ben, then I had to do it. When everything started, I was the one pushing to save Ben, unwilling to give up on him and stood strong in the love that I had for him…but now, so much had happened that I was starting to realize that maybe I had been the problem all along. I was so blinded by my own happiness that I failed to see the inner turmoil and pain that he was going through. After Thomas and Lizzie were married, and the twins born, Ben started to slip into a deep depression, and no one around him even noticed, not even me, because we were all too happy. I should have been there for him, he was my soul mate, the one with whom I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, how could I have been so damn foolish not to see the pain he was in? Now more than ever, I had to save Ben. If the darkness consumed the light from Prox and snuffed out every soul, including my own, that would be okay. All I wanted was Ben back in my arms, and I would fight to my very last breath to have that.

“Dustin….your shirt. Don't make me fucking tell you again.” Burnley pointed at my chest and I awkwardly started fumbling with the buttons. My fingers were cold and refused to cooperate, which caused me to take longer than it should have to release them. I had just managed to get them all undone and started to pull the material off my shoulders when Burnley spoke again. “That’s enough. I need to attach these electrodes to you so that I can monitor your vitals during the procedure.” His tone was cold and flat, and hearing him speak so unemotional gave me the chills. Leaning down in front of me, he pushed small adhesive strips to my bare chest, his warm fingers just barely grazing over my flesh.

I tried my best to avoid looking at him, keeping my eyes fixed on what he was doing instead. “How do you even know how to do this or it will work?”

Satisfied, Burnley started to unravel the wires and connect them to a computer which was near the bed. He didn’t answer me at first, focused on getting the system up and running was his main priority, but within a few moments the silence was broken by the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor that he had attached to me. The screen displayed the brilliant green lines of each beat of my heart which flashed brightly in the dim room giving it a slightly ghastly glow. “The FEC… they taught me everything that I would ever need to know about keeping someone alive and how to do it for… interrogation purposes.” Burnley adjusted a few dials on the machine while he spoke. “As for how I know that this transfusion from you to Benjamin is going to work, well that’s a calculated risk that I am going to take. I had firsthand experience with the Eden drug and I know what it can do to someone. It takes away all the humanity that you have and replaces it with something else… something that you soon find fills in all the holes and gaps in your soul and becomes something more to you than just a bunch of chemicals, it becomes your trusted friend, your confidant, your…lover. In a way it's much like the Shepherd of the Damned, only in a different form. It can make you as strong as a God or as weak as a child, depending on how it latches on to you, however, if you're one of the lucky ones, it just kills you.”

I shook my head. “How does that make you lucky?”

Burnley looked at me with those deep eyes. “Because then your life is over, and you don't have to live with the addiction anymore. Lay back on the bed please.”

I didn’t like the way his voice changed when he spoke about the Eden drug. It reminded me of the way that a person would talk about a long lost friend. I started to think that maybe the tyrant he had become wasn't entirely his fault, that the FEC was the one who made him into the monster that he was. Maybe he was misunderstood and needed a friend. Doing as he asked, he then began to prepare a series of plastic bags and tubing, attaching them to the side of the bed. He was being incredibly thorough and methodical about the whole procedure. I started to feel a little anxious about the whole situation. Was I really just going to lay here and let him drain all the blood out of me willingly? I wanted to be completely certain before I let him start anything that couldn’t be reversed. “How do you know how much to take? You said that you can get Ben to come here, well when he does, I don’t want to be weakened and useless. I need to be on my feet. He can’t see me helpless.”

I heard Burnley sigh. “Four pints of blood loss will cause your body to go into shock and quite possibly cardiac arrest. I plan on taking exactly three from you which will leave you slightly weakened, but enough that you will be able to function normally. However, when it comes to Benjamin…. Well that’s a different story.” He pushed the silver cart over to me and for the first time, I saw the gleam of the silver needle laying precariously on top of it. Burnley noticed me looking at it with wide eyes. “I have to use a larger gauge needle to make the blood flow faster. Time is of the essence here. The faster we get the replacement blood, the faster we can lure Benjamin here and get it all over with.”

He started to wipe my arm down with a horrible smelling cleansing liquid. “You will take the same amount from Ben then too, right?”

“No.” Burnley frowned. “As I explained before…Benjamin needs to actually die. That is the only way the Shepherd will release him. After I sedate him, I will begin the procedure to drain as much blood out of his body that I can. I’ll take every single tainted drop of it if I have to. His heart will stop and then we will start the transfusion of your blood and restart his heart. Think of it as rebooting a computer. Of course your ‘donation’ won’t be quite enough to bring him back to full health right away, it will leave him severely weakened, but enough that we can control him.”

“Control him?”

Burnley ripped off several pieces of tape and attached the plastic tubing to my arm, I could see the needle between his fingers and it made me even more nervous. “What? You don’t like my choice of words? Fine. ‘Save him’… how’s that? Does it make you feel better if I said it that way?”

“Burnley you better make good on your word here!” I said, scolding him. “I am trusting you to do the right thing, against my better judgment. If this doesn’t work out, so help me… I will….”

“You will what, Dustin?” Leaning in close to me, Burnley smirked. I hated that sarcastic smirk more than anything else. It irritated me to no end. “You will kiss me again? Maybe you will blame me for your inexcusable attraction to someone other than Benjamin? Don’t you remember how guilty and wrong you felt after I raped you and left you for dead? You couldn’t even face Benjamin… as a matter of fact, I seem to remember you cowering in that tiny room and sending Brock out to rescue Ben because you couldn’t do it. The guilt that you felt then was your own, and you made it worse by keeping it secret for so long. My question to you is this… had I not told my father about what I had done, would you ever have had the balls to do it yourself? The answer is no, because I put something inside of you, quite literally, that you cannot ever lose, and that is the hunger for which something you can never have. You had Benjamin, and Brock… and yet you want more. Either you will learn to be satisfied with what you have or else it will consume you from inside, leaving you with nothing. Everyone has learned a lesson in this story, it’s about fucking time you learned yours.”

I wanted this over with. I hated being Burnley’s plaything. I was on the verge of ripping all the wires off and just walking out. I would find my own way to save Ben. “I don’t see how Brock could ever love someone like you. You’re so damn arrogant.” With a quick flick of his wrist, Burnley yanked at the plastic tubing, taking hold of the needle, twisting and turning it around in his fingers to get a better grip on it, and then promptly pushed me back down against the bed and brought the piercing piece of metal right in front of one of my eyes. I could see the bright glint of silver right in front of me, poised and ready to be pushed into my iris. I reached up and grabbed hold of his wrists, trying to pull his hand away but he was much stronger than I and all my efforts didn’t even budge him.

“You are NOT allowed to speak Brock's name, not now, not ever. You don’t know what that boy gave up for you, Bates. You insult his memory and all that was good in him by even speaking it out loud. I saved his life, when he was ready to end it, I gave him back to you and let him make his own choice, and still he wanted to be with me. He turned his back on you, and you can’t accept it!” The hand that Burnley was holding me down with in the center of my chest pushed down harder, and I could feel the pressure of my ribs starting to crack. “He may have chosen to give his physical life to be with me, but you were the reason he lost his soul, preventing us from being together even in death…. Now that’s what I call arrogance. What I am doing here isn’t for me… it isn’t for you either… I am trying to save Benjamin and what is left of Prox, and if you can’t accept that, then we might as well end this right here and now. After the blood starts flowing, there is no going back. You need to shut the fuck up and trust me. For once in your goddamn life, learn to look past your own selfish desires and think about someone else. If you can’t do that, then you can fuck off.”

I let go of his wrist. “Let’s get this over with.” I said quietly. Burnley instantly retreated, removing himself from the bed, and started to reattach the plastic tubing to my arm again. As he worked, removing the old adhesive tape and putting on new, I noticed that he wasn’t being as gentle this time, and I knew that I had fucked up once again with my careless words. After everything was set up, he took hold of my arm and without giving me a warning, suddenly jammed the needle right into it. It pierced the flesh with a subtle, painful pop, and soon I saw the stream of blood start to flow out of my arm and down the side of the bed, out of sight where the plastic bag was waiting to collect it. I eased my head back onto the pillow and tried to calm my breathing. Burnley had the upper hand now, and I was at his mercy. As I lie there, I thought about what he had said to me, about me having Benjamin and Brock and still wanting more. It was like a slap right in the face, but in a way he was right. Even though I had Ben, I was always ready to run to Brock’s side when things got bad, and let him comfort me. I led him on to believe that we could be more than friends, that there was a chance that I might turn away from Ben, when in fact, there wasn’t, and that hurt him worse than anything else. “Burnley?” I whispered.

He didn’t tear his eyes off the flashing monitors. He was watching my vital signs intently. “What?”

“Brock… I didn’t want him to go back to you, because I thought he was throwing his life away. I didn’t think that two people could fall in love in a matter of hours. That just doesn’t happen…but then again, time travel isn’t possible, life on other planets doesn't exist, and the dead can’t come back. I was a fool to ignore what he was saying, just because I thought he was delusional.” I started to feel a little light headed, Burnley was right; the rapid blood loss was moving things along quickly. I struggled to keep my train of thought. “Brock was never delusional. He always knew the right thing to do, in any situation. He went back to you because he didn’t want you to be alone, he loved you. He really did. In a way, I think that you needed him just as much as he needed you. Because of the sacrifice that he made in that moment, it changed you and gave you what you needed to become a better person. He gifted you with a compassionate soul, and a will to do the right thing, no matter how hard it is. You’re just scared to admit it.” I took a deep breath and pulled the blankets up around my body with my free hand. The cold was really starting to get to me now. “I am sorry that I ruined things for you, I was selfish. I think that you two should be together… but not here on Prox. This place… it divides people.”

Burnley finally turned around to face me, and I could see that there was real sadness there in his eyes. “I don’t ever want to see Brock again.”

“Why? Why would you say that?” I asked, completely astonished.

“Because, I will never be able to look at his face without loving him.” There in that quiet moment inside Dawn, the last shackles of tyranny and cruelty fell away from Burnley and I saw him as Ben’s son, the innocent boy who had been kidnapped and raped of his childhood. Some of his actions and words were harsh, but now I knew that he was slowly learning, trying his hardest to prove to me, and most importantly himself, that he could be good. Even if it was just for Brock’s sake.

The computer above the bed beeped loudly, interrupting the moment between us and Burnley jumped to his feet, keying in a few numbers. I turned my head to see the monitor, but the sudden movement made me dizzy and the room started spinning. All I could see was large white numbers displaying ‘50% Blood Loss complete. Do you wish to proceed?’ I squinted my eyes, there was something more on the screen, another box popped up with a bright red exclamation point on it, but Burnley quickly clicked it away. “Is everything alright?” I asked, trying my best to see what he was doing at the keyboard.

“Of course.” He answered me quickly. “How are you feeling?”

I was quite shocked by his sudden concern for my well-being, but I let it go. “Okay. I feel really dizzy and tired though.”

“That’s to be expected. This is where the procedure is going to get tricky. I need to get enough blood from you that will cover what will be taken from Benjamin, which means it might put you into a state of temporary distress, but not to worry, I will be here with you every step of the way.” The tone in his voice was surprisingly soothing. I felt comforted. Slowly, Burnley removed the filled bags of blood and set them on the crash cart. It was odd seeing how bright red my own blood was, sitting there neatly packaged right in front of my eyes. “We need to take a few precautions before moving on. For your own safety of course.” I saw him move to the end of the bed and slip the restraining cuffs over my ankles, latching them tightly, and then went up to my arms, repeating the process. He was tying me down again.

“What the hell are you doing?” I mumbled. “Why are you restraining me?”

Burnley’s voice was smooth as silk when he spoke. “It’s for your own good. I can’t have you trying to get up and falling out of bed. Your body is starting to experience the first stages of massive blood loss and I fear that it might trigger your fight or flight response. I need you to remain calm and lay as still as possible, any extra exertion will lead to uncontrolled blood loss and I need to keep the flow contained and under control.” He could tell that I was apprehensive about it now, and the distrust must have been showing in my eye. “Here, look… I haven’t tightened them all the way, it’s just enough to keep you safe. Relax Dustin.” I absolutely hated the way that he said my name at that moment. Usually he would call me Bates, but at that moment, the sound of the syllables just seemed to be laced with suspicion.

I glanced down to the needle still pumping the blood out of my arm. It was hard to focus on it. This was too much, too quickly. At this rate, I would pass out before Burnley would enact the next part of his plan. “I want to stop now.” I mumbled. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

“After everything that I’ve explained to you, you still can’t trust me, can you?” Burnley shook his head and returned to the crash cart. He pushed some instruments around with his slender fingertips moving over each one in turn until he came upon a syringe filled with a strange looking blue glowing substance. He held it up for me to see. “Do you know what this is? It’s the tranquilizer that I am going to use on Benjamin once he gets here to sedate him. This is a massive dose high enough to stop a human heart from beating but for the Shepherd of the Damned, it should only incapacitate him for a few moments.”

“Wait a moment… Ben is coming here?” My heart started to flutter. “When?”

Burnley smiled. When Burnley smiled, it usually meant that things were about to get serious. Reaching for the plastic tube attached to the needle in my arm, he wound it around his hand and snapped it, breaking it off from the collection bag attached to the bed. The severed tubing started to pump my blood out, soaking everything with a beautiful bright red brilliance and then slowly dripping down onto the floor. Burnley yanked the curtains open, exposing my bed to the rest of the ward and instantly a wave of frigid coldness overwhelmed me. “Yes. Benjamin will come here. Your screams of agony will be what draws him in, so cry and beg, whimper and pray that he will come and save you, because if he doesn’t then you will bleed to death in a matter of moments.”

“Burnley…. I thought we were working together! I thought we were going to save Prox and Ben!! Why are you doing this? You’re…. insane!”

Slipping the syringe into his pocket, he tilted his head and laughed. “Am I insane? Was my soul being locked away and tortured every single night and day enough to drive me over the edge? I’d say yes. For months I wasted away, being picked apart by beasts with red eyes and black wings over and over, dying at the end of the day, only to be reborn and go through it all again the next morning! All I could think about was being set free from that place. Then suddenly one day, my soul was ripped from the hell it was in and shoved into this body where I realized that I had another chance… and this time I wasn’t going to waste it.”

My mouth and throat were drying out, I was so parched that it was difficult to speak. “You said that you didn’t want to take baby Ben’s life… you said that you didn’t want to live again….”

“Until I realized that there is a way to bring a lost soul back…” Burnley mumbled.

“Oh my God… you’re going to somehow use Ben’s powers as the Shepherd of the Damned for yourself. You’re planning on bringing Brock back to life.” It took everything that I had to wrap my head around his sick and twisted plan. “NO! This can’t happen. You came back from the dead and now there is a darkness consuming Prox, it's all tired to you! You’re a lunatic if you think anything good can come from this. Even if you did bring him back, we’re all going to die here anyway. Are you so cruel that you’d bring him back just to die again?”

Burnley shrugged. “Who said I had any plans on remaining on Prox? Once I get what I want, I can and will be able to do anything I choose. You said it yourself, you wanted to see Brock and I together, but not on this miserable planet. I’ll bring him back and take him away from here, away from you, where no one will ever be able to hurt him again. You see, after I knocked you out earlier, I went into the room where you murdered poor innocent Lizzie to get a first-hand look at the carnage that you created. I admit that there wasn’t much left of my mother, but in the remains of your friend I found something rather interesting.” Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a plain looking silver wrist band. I had a very bad feeling. “This little device is quite interesting. I am not sure where Lizzie got it from, but it’s extraordinary. Contained in this trinket is the power to ‘jump’ over time and space, much like the Everything Machine, but in a much smaller device that doesn’t draw it’s power from natural resources, and as a matter of fact, I am not sure how it is able to function at all, but it does have one charge left. That is enough to get both Brock and I off his miserable planet and back to Earth, before it was destroyed.” I couldn’t help but to scowl at him, my face twisted into a vile visage of contempt and hate. “That’s right, I am going to make good on the plan that I had before everything went to shit, and there is nothing you can do about it. I do this of my own free will, and why you ask… well it’s because of my love for Brock. You see, love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds… but now I know how to bring it back, and give us a new life together.”

I found it hard to follow him now, his words were confusing and rambling. This was the Burnley that I had known before, I was stupid to think he could be anything more than that. My head started to ache and there was a dull ringing in my ears as the blood loss continued. “No, I won’t let this happen. I will stop you, Burnley.”

“No you won’t, you’re much too weak now. All you have to do is lay there and die, be the bait that brings Benjamin to me. In your last moments, you will call out to him to save you, beg him to rush to your side and make everything alright, because that’s exactly what you do, you make others fight your battles for you. Try as hard as you want, your heart will yearn for him, you will deny it but I can assure you that it will happen, and when it does you will be leading him right to me. Benjamin will sense your presence, feel your soul leaving your body as you die and come here to collect it. He won’t be able to resist. Partly because he is desperate for souls now, starving for a bit of nourishment, and also partly because he does still love you. It will be quite fascinating to see which one wins out in the end, love or hunger. I am betting on hunger. He won’t be able to control it and when that happens, I will be waiting for him, to take what I need. I said it before, Bates… everyone else has sacrificed something, and now it’s your turn.” Slowly, he bent down and kissed my forehead. His lips were like fire. He leaned in and whispered into my ear and my eyes started to flutter. “To be truthful…I don’t need Benjamin…. Or the Shepherd of the Damned… all I need is…” His voice went quiet, he didn’t finish the sentence. I stared at him with wild eyes, I knew what he wanted. Straightening his back, Burnley started to walk away from me. I felt a tear run down my cheek. I watched as he left, a grim dark specter fading away into the night.

“Blood.” I whispered, looking down at my own stained hands. “You need his Eden tainted blood.” The room was empty now, no one heard me. The strange warmth of the soaked sheets draped over my body felt like a massive weight holding me down. They were damp and sticky with my blood, and it continued to slowly drip out of my veins and onto the floor. Burnley had slowed the machine down, leaving me to suffer agonizing moments of pain and fear, the exact thing that he had been known for. The masochist within him never died. He fooled me once again.I tried to pull at the restraints but all I managed to do was wiggle a finger. Feeling helpless and used, I closed my eyes and did the only thing that I could, and that was think of Ben.

There was an incredible pressure on Travis’s chest. He instantly began to cough, trying to get air into his lungs. He felt a thud on his chest, then a second and then a third. Gasping for breath, he rolled onto his side to ease up the pain, and then heard a voice over him. “Finally. Fuck… I thought I lost you.” He couldn’t place who the voice belonged to, all he could concentrate on was the searing pain in his lungs that doubled him over in agony every time he tried to take a breath. He felt soothing hands on his shoulder pushing a plastic oxygen mask at him. “Here, breathe this in, but he quick about it, we don’t have much time left.” Grasping the mask, Travis did as he was told, inhaling the pure, undiluted air into his lungs instantly took away some of the pain, and eased his erratic breathing. With the coughing fit gone, he opened his eyes to see a young man kneeling down at his side. He was a stranger, with deep blue eyes and wavy brown hair that curled around his ears, giving him a very delicate, beautiful look.

“Where am I?” Travis managed to croak out in between breaths. “And who are you?”

The young man shook his head. “Who I am doesn’t matter right now. You’re still in Eden. I got you out of that room right before it was engulfed in flames, but we have to get going. The entire base is lit, and the fire is working its way to the engine room where all the fuel is stored.” He paused to look around with those wildly intense blue eyes. “I think we have a few more minutes before it all explodes, taking us with it.” The man glanced over Travis’s prone body. “Can you walk?”

Sitting up, Travis took a moment to find his center of gravity. “I think so.” He looked back down the hall to where billowing clouds of white smoke were still pouring out. The door looked undamaged. “How did you get me out of there, it was electronically sealed?”

The man stood up, pulling Travis with him. “I had codes.” He started to move forward, urging him along the dark hall. “Come on, we need to go.”

Travis wanted to know more, but the insistence in his rescuers voice persuaded him to cooperate and get out of the doomed base as soon as he could. Together the two men made their way down twisting halls, doing their best to avoid the jets of massive fire that would unexpectedly shoot out from the walls, or the gaping holes in the floor caused by explosions far below. Every time that they came to a blocked path or intersection, the young man would know exactly which way to go, or which code would open a locked door. He seemed to know the base inside and out, and found the quickest route out to the courtyard. As they hit the fresh, cold air outside, Travis began to cough again and shiver. He wasn’t quite prepared for the temperature drop. When he arrived on Eden for the first time, it was humid and raining torrential downpours, now it was a arctic wasteland of nothing but snow and ice. The young man started to lead him over to where a vehicle was waiting. “How the hell did all of this happen?” Travis asked.

“Love did this.” The man said quietly. His voice was as calming as the snow that was drifting down around them. They reached the vehicle, and he took a moment to release Travis and let him lean on the front hood to catch his breath. “One person’s believe that another meant more to them than anything else in the world, that’s all it took to set things in motion that brought the planet to its knees.” They both turned around to watch the base being consumed by flames. “I don’t know where I heard it said before, but I recall someone saying that the world won’t be destroyed by war or famine, but by love… and sadly it’s happening… I wanted to change things myself, I wanted to be the hero and go rushing into the battle, taking it head on and saving everyone, but someone showed me that isn’t the way to go. Sometimes it’s the smallest things that can make the biggest difference.”

Travis looked over to the man, his curls were glistening with the new fallen snow. There seemed to be an air of sadness that surrounded him, and it made him feel a little uneasy. “Who are you?” He asked again, just as another coughing fit overcame him.

“My name is Tristan.” He replied, brushing the snow away from his blue eyes. In the dim light, Travis found them utterly fascinating. “We should get you into the vehicle, it’s too cold out here for you.”

Travis shook his head. “No. I think we need to stay here just a little longer.” He didn’t know why he said those words, but he wasn’t ready to leave Eden yet. Something was keeping him here still, and it had to do with the man who just saved him. He had to wait.

“Suit yourself.” Tristan went to the back of the vehicle and brought out a thick blanket, and wrapped it over Travis’s arms. “Whenever you are ready, we will go.”

The bright, crackling flames of the fire which engulfed the base grew higher and higher. Soon it would be reduced to nothing but ash. “Tristan, how did you know to come here and find me? And how did you know all the codes for every one of those doors? It can’t be a coincidence that you were out here driving by.”

Tristan frowned a bit. “I was on my way to Dawn. I wanted to stop Burnley. He’s the reason why the darkness has consumed the sun and is slowly spreading across Prox like a plague. It was an unnatural thing that his soul was brought back to the land of the living, and until it is put back to where it belongs, we will never see sunlight again. Prox is being consumed by the same evil and blackness that lurks deep inside of him. That’s why everything feels wrong. It’s because he is here. I thought that I would set out and take care of the situation, because no one else could. I didn’t want to stand by and watch all the people of Prox slowly freeze to death and their souls damned just because of one masochistic bastard.” He stopped for a moment, pulling his jacket around his body. Travis now noticed how young Tristan was. His physical appearance and confidence gave the false pretense than he was actually older than he was, but looking into his eyes, he could see nothing there but a newness that only very young children have. It baffled and unsettled him. “Anyway, Scott was injured pretty badly, and I knew that I had to step in and do something. I can’t sit back and watch my home be destroyed.” Inhaling sharply at the sound of Scott’s name, Travis fell into another coughing fit that doubled him over. Tristan was at his side in an instant. “Okay that’s enough, we need to get you inside the vehicle and warmed up. You’re still so very weak, come on.”

Waving him away, Travis shook his head. “No I’m fine. You said Scott… is he okay? Where is he?”

“He’s back at the Shallow Bay. We were attacked and he got stabbed trying to protect….” Tristan stopped speaking, his voice awkwardly dropping off.

“Who? Who was he protecting?” Travis asked slowly.

Lowering his head, Tristan looked down and kicked the snow off his boots. “Me. He was trying to protect me. He made a promise to my mother that he would take care of me, look after me like his own child. I feel as though I let him down by coming out here and going after Burnley, but it was something that I felt I had to do. I know that turning my back on him probably devastated him, but there was no other choice.”

The mention of Scott’s name made Travis feel warm inside. A fleeting thought crossed his mind that maybe somehow; he might be able to see him again after all. He could have a chance to fully explain things, and confess his true feelings. “But… Burnley isn’t in Eden. There is no reason he’d come to a dead base like this. So why did you end up here?”

“I was driving like a madman through the snow and ice heading towards Dawn. All I could think about was killing Burnley. The closer I got to the base, the more enraged I became. I don’t know how long I was on the road for, but I do know that the hours rolled on and I never slept, not for one single minute. My eyes were very heavy and tired, but I kept driving on. I had to make it to Dawn before morning. I wanted his blood on my hands so that the sun could rise over the mountains. Then I saw her. She appeared out of nowhere and was suddenly sitting in the passenger’s seat right there next to me.” Tristan pointed back towards the vehicle with a shaking hand. “I am not making this up, nor am I crazy, but in the blink of an eye there was a small child sitting right there next to me. She was wearing a white dress with lace at the collar and sleeves, with a thin sweater over her arms. I looked at her and noticed how utterly beautiful her long red hair was, and the way that the red ribbon she had it tied up with swished when she moved her head. Distracted by seeing her, I hit a bump in the road and swerved off into a ditch. Nothing serious, but enough to daze me. When I came to my senses, she was still sitting there. I asked her what she wanted and she told me that I needed to change course, the way I was going would only lead to death. I told her that was fine, because it was Burnley’s death I was after and she looked at me… Travis… she looked right through me and said that it was my death that I was pursuing. There was something in her voice that chilled me to the bone, it kind of felt like she reached into my heart and wrapped her fingers around it, and started squeezing. It was at that moment that I knew she was right. This child, or apparition or whatever she was, was sent here as a warning to me. Scott tried to tell me too, but I ignored him. I asked her what I should do and she said that I had to go to the old messenger base, Eden and a guide would show me the way inside. There I would find the purpose of why I came out into the storm tonight, and why I had to stay away from Dawn at all cost. I got the vehicle back on the road and found that she was gone, disappeared from sight and I was now at an intersection between Dawn and Eden. I didn’t hesitate; I made the choice to come here.”

Travis cleared his throat. The cold was getting worse, but still he remained. He needed to hear the rest of the story right here, right now. “And your guide?” he asked.

Looking down to the fire, Tristan let his gaze linger on it. “I thought that I was foolish to come here, I was losing faith in the reason why I even ended up here. Following a ‘vision’ of a little girl was a pretty stupid thing to do, but I went and did it, so even though I started to doubt myself, I went on, prepared to see it through to the end. I had already missed my chance to murder Burnley, so why not embrace the hallucination all the way and go along with it.” The young man started to shake. Travis could see his entire body trembling as he spoke. “The minute my hand reached out and touched the first lock, I saw him…”

“Who?”

A warm smile spread across Tristan’s lips. “My father.” His eyes were aglow with a inner brightness that seemed to illuminate his entire face. “He didn’t say a word to me, and he didn’t have to. All I needed to know I learned from looking in his eyes. He built Eden from the ground up himself after being freed from the FEC. No one else knew it as well as he did. It was fitting that he would be my guide.” Looking down at the base down below, the smile slowly started to fade away. “This was the first home that he had ever really had, and the first real family that became his own. The FEC took both of them from him, and he spent the rest of his life trying so hard to get them back. So much of his time was spent trying to help others… I wish that someone would have been there at the end to help him.” Taking a deep breath Tristan closed his eyes for a moment, letting the snowflakes melt away on his eyelashes. “He showed me the way inside, and the way to find you. The moment that I pulled you out of that room and to safety, he appeared to me for the last time and told me that I had to get you back to the Shallow Bay, because someone was there waiting for you. I asked him about Burnley, and what would become of Prox if he was left to live. Then he simply shook his head at me and said that Burnley had to live; it wasn’t my place to be chasing after him, I was needed elsewhere.” Tristan took a step toward Travis. “Listen, I know that this all sounds completely ridiculous, but you wanted to know how I ended up here, and I’ve told you. Every bit of it is the truth.”

The fire which consumed the Eden base was now starting to die down. The main fuel tanks had exploded, spewing their fiery chemicals out across what was left of the structure, reducing it to glowing chunks of concrete. The two men stood on the perimeter of the base, watching the fire burn brightly in the falling snow. For a moment, neither of them spoke to one another. The vision of the once magnificent base now nothing more than rubble was overwhelming. Travis shivered in the cold. He didn’t doubt Tristan’s story at all, he believed that the young man must have seen something that diverted him from his course, but the ghosts of a little girl and his father was quite unbelievable. One of the main beams supporting the structure below suddenly cracked and split, startling Travis and interrupting his thoughts. “I think we need to go now.”

Tristan walked around and opened the door for Travis, who didn’t realize up until this point just how tired and aching his body was. He couldn’t remember the last time that he had sleep. He was exhausted beyond believe, and as he slid inside the vehicle, the comforting warmth soon surrounded him, enveloping him in a haze of relief. He was safe now, he was going home. Tristan made his way back to the driver’s side and held the door open for a moment, turning his head to look at the wreckage of Eden still flowing brightly with a few crackling flames. For a brief moment, he thought he saw the silhouette of his father there, standing near the perimeter, with a sad, sullen look in his eyes. As he looked closer though, he realized that it was nothing more than a shadow, and a trick of the light. He gave his crescent moon necklace a squeeze and said a silent prayer for both his mother and father, then quickly ducked into the vehicle and inputted the coordinates for the Shallow Bay.

Scott finished gathering up all the supplies that he could find and brought them into the main hall of the base. All of the people of the Shallow Bay, both civilian and military had gathered in the massive room in order to conserve the precious amount of heat that was left. Cots had been set up, lining the walls with sleeping children which were set near a massive fire pit that was constantly fed for warmth. Lack of fuel meant that they had to start breaking down furniture to burn, and soon after that, the men took turns heading out to the small forest that Lizzie had taken the time to nurture and cut down the trees that remained there. Scott didn’t stop them. Everyone knew that they were living on borrowed time now, and once all the fuel and food ran out, they would slowly succumb to the cold, one at a time, until no one was left. He passed some of the salvaged blankets from the medical wing onto mothers with children, and gave a few scraps of food that he found to an elderly couple that had refused all other help. He looked around at all the misery surrounding him with a heavy heart; this wasn’t how things were supposed to go. Tired and sore from his wound, he took a seat next to the fire, and waved away the nurses who came to his side, offering him some tea. Not taking no for an answer, the girls left the cup of steaming tea with him, draping a thick wool blanket around his shoulders as they left. Staring into the fire, he sat there motionless, listening to the hushed voices around him talking in quiet tones. There were whispers of some who wanted to leave, to try and pack up everything that they had, brave the storm and make it to another base that might have better supplies. Others were content to sit and wait, hoping against hope that by some miracle, Lizzie, Thomas or Benjamin would come back and save them all. This deeply hurt Scott. He was trying his best, but it just wasn’t good enough. He risked everything by coming to Prox, and in the end, he lost everything… his home, his friends, his family…all gone. There was absolutely nothing he could do. Picking up the teacup that the nurses had left for him, he held it in his hands, letting the warmth spread through him and noticed something which caused his heart to skip a beat. There was a familiar crack in the cup. Carefully holding it up, he looked at the faint lavender pattern of partially worn off flowers that were hand painted along the rim. He had seen this cup before. It was the one that his Ember bought off the elderly couple so long ago. A sudden flash of her bright eyes and innocent smile appeared before him, and he was overcome with emotion. He heard her call his name and it broke his heart. As memory after memory flooded his mind, Scott tried his best to wipe the tears away, but it didn’t work, they just kept coming, streaming down his face like rivers. This was it, he finally had a breakdown, at the end of all things, he was done for. Throwing the blanket off his arms he stood up and in a fit of rage, threw the tea cup onto the floor. The moment it hit the concrete, it exploded into a hundred tiny shards, spilling hot liquid everywhere. “What am I supposed to do?” He screamed out into the large hall. Everyone turned and looked at him. “How am I supposed to save you all when I can’t even save the life of my own child?” Two of the nurses that had taken care of him rushed over and tried to comfort him, but he pushed them away. “Get away from me. All of you, just go if you want to. You don’t have to stay here. Go out into the snow and wind and die out there if that is what makes you happy. I am not your leader here, I never have been. Do whatever you want, I don’t care, just leave me alone. Let me die in peace with my own demons.” No one in the room moved or spoke, they all looked onto him with sympathetic eyes.

Feeling a slight tap on his shoulder, Scott turned around and saw one of the guards standing behind him. He was covered in snow, an obvious sign that he was still out in the storm, fulfilling his duty to protect the base against intruders. Even after the call had been made for everyone to be released from their assignments, this man remained outside, determined to serve until the last. Slightly taken back by the look on Scott’s face, the man still saluted and nodded to him. “Sir… I spotted a vehicle a few miles away from the base on my radar. It came into view a few hours ago, but then suddenly stopped. I wasn’t sure what was going on, so I went out to investigate.” He lowered his head slightly. “I know it’s against regulations to leave the base without express permission, but something told me that I just had to go out there. I apologize for breaking the procedure.”

Shaking his head, Scott gave the man a pat on the shoulder. To see that he remained faithful to the Messengers, even when things were going badly, filled his heart with joy. “It’s alright. You don’t have to be out there. We’re sort of in the end game here. Come inside and get warmed up, be with your family.”

The soldier frowned. “I don’t have anyone. The Shallow Bay… all the people here are my family. That’s why I chose to stay at my post. I want to protect them until the very end. Thomas saved me, and I want to return the favor.”

“You’re a good man.” Scott said, taking a deep breath. The welcome interruption gave him a chance to calm down and see things clearly again. He felt his pulse return to normal, and he was able to think with a clear mind. He was taken back by the man’s dedication to his duty, and out of respect, Scott followed protocol and began to question him. “Well, what did you see? Whose vehicle was out there?”

Straightening up his back, he gave Scott an anxious look. “It took some time to get out there, the storm is incredibly bad. The drifts of snow have closed off every single road in and out of here. When I finally made it to the vehicle I noticed that it had lost all power and was stuck in a massive mound of snow. It was left open and unattended, with no signs of life surrounding it. I wasn’t sure who it belonged to until I got closer, then I recognized the colors of the Shallow Bay on it. Sir….it was the vehicle that Tristan took a few hours ago.”

Scott’s jaw hit the floor. “What? Oh God… no.” He sank back down to the chair and lowered his head. There was silence in the room. Not even a child stirred or made a sound. He felt dozens of eyes on him, the entire room was feeling his pain. “I should have tried harder…” He mumbled. “I should have pulled myself right out of the bed and tied Tristan down to it. Lizzie wanted me to watch over him; but I never thought that he would take matters into his own hands and do something so drastic. Damn his bravery and courage….and damn me for letting him walk out that door.”

“Sir.” The soldier cleared his throat. “I found footprints… and I followed them.”

Sighing, Scott didn’t even bother looking up. “…and what did you find?”

“Tristan. He’s in the infirmary.”

On his feet in an instant, Scott pushed the soldier out of the way and threw the doors open, heading for the medical wing. His heart raced. His feet wouldn’t carry him fast enough. This was the one single ray of hope, the spark that he needed to keep going and not give up. When he walked out the door, Scott thought that he would never see him again, Tristan was going off to fight a battle that he had no hopes of winning, and now he was back safe within the Shallow Bay at home. Even though they were all freezing to death and starving, at least now they would be together and his promise to Lizzie fulfilled. Rounding the corner, Scott stopped in front of the infirmary to see Tristan standing there, leaning against the wall, quietly speaking to the doctor, wrapped and swaddled in so many blankets that it doubled his size. Rushing over to him, he didn’t say a word, but instead pulled the young man into his arms and drew him in close to his chest. The chill emanating from his thin body radiated through the blankets as Scott held him in a tight embrace, desperately wanting to take away every bit of the frigid coldness. Reaching up, he stroked the soft, snow damp waves of Tristan’s chestnut brown hair as tears streamed down his cheeks. He was holding onto the infant that Lizzie placed in his arms and made him swear to protect, never wanting to let him go. There was a faint smell of charred wood which hung in the air around Tristan, but Scott paid it no mind, he was safe and that was the most important part. He tightened his grip on the young man, and much to his surprise, Tristan lifted his arms and hugged him back.

“I thought I lost you.” Scott whispered, still holding on tightly. He felt Tristan smile. It was the best feeling in the world.

“For a moment, you almost did.” Tristan kept his voice low, barely above a whisper. “Scott. I am sorry that I ran out like that. I thought I knew the right thing to do. I was a fool to think that I could save the world on my own. Now I know that I was wrong… I lost my brother and both of my parents. I don’t want to lose you too.”

Slowly Scott released him and brought his hands up to both sides of his face, pressing down onto the young man’s cheeks. “I made a promise to your mother that I would keep you safe, but it goes way beyond simple words. You are my family now, Tristan, and I promise you that you won’t ever lose me. I’ll be here for you, no matter what you need or when you need it. I will listen to your troubles and be the one that comforts you in times of grief… just don’t be afraid. Do you understand?”

Nodding, Tristan reached out and hugged Scott again. “I do, thank you.”

Across the hall, the doctor shifted from foot to foot, embarrassed to be in such a awkward position. Scott noticed him and pushed Tristan away from him, trying to get a better look at the boy. “Tristan, are you okay? Are you hurt in anyway?”

Tristan pulled the blankets up on his shoulder a little higher. “The vehicle became stuck in a drift a few miles away from the base. It was very dark and visibility was low. I.. I… don’t know the terrain very well yet, I am afraid. I had no choice but to get out and walk, but I didn’t know which direction the Shallow Bay was, so I guessed.” A slight trace of guilt crept over his face. “I got lost… it was so cold… every step felt like a hundred. I thought I was going to die out there… but I kept walking and walking…”

“Hey… Shh… don’t worry about it.” Grabbing Tristan’s hands, Scott squeezed them. They were still cold as ice. “You are here now. Safe.”

“Scott… I wasn’t alone out there.” Tristan murmured.

“There was someone with you? Who?” Scott asked curiously.

Letting go of Scott’s hands, Tristan walked toward the doors that led into the Infirmary and pushed them open. Confused, Scott walked past him and went inside. The first thing that hit him was the warmth of the room. The doctor had scrambled and found every single emergency candle that he could and lit them to fill the room. The flames danced and flickered, throwing dark shadows on the high walls of the room. At first Scott was furious that all these candles were being wasted, used in one room alone, when they could be used to heat the great hall where the others were gathered. As he was about to say something, he noticed that they were all surrounding a bed that was piled up with blankets. Underneath all of these, he could just make out the form of a sleeping man, with an oxygen mask strapped tightly around his face. Each breath he took filled the mask up with tiny puffs which meant that he was alive. Scott looked back at Tristan, who nodded to him. Taking one small step at a time, he made his way over to the bed, his hands shaking, not because of the cold, but because of his anxiousness. He didn’t know who could possibly be in the bed, the blankets obscured the body too much. Had Tristan found Lizzie out there in the cold and dark, or possibly Dustin or Benjamin? The anticipation was killing him. Coming near to the edge of the bed, he started to feel a lump rising in his throat.

Tristan spoke up. “I couldn’t do it. I realized that throwing my life away wasn’t worth it… not when there are people here…family here who still need me. I’ll find a way to save Prox, maybe not today or tomorrow, but someday… somehow, I will find a way… and we can all be together…but for now, it is enough we found each other.”

Only partially hearing Tristan’s words, Scott stepped forward and saw the unconscious form of Travis, laying on the bed. He was covered in soot and dust, and had several burns on his hands and arms, but he was alive. Reaching out, he took hold of Travis’s hand, holding onto it tightly. Turning around, he looked at the doctor. “He’s just sleeping. Suffering from severe smoke inhalation and exposure to the cold, all he needs is rest and some fluids and should pull through.” The doctor smiled at Tristan. “You have him to thank for it, not only did this young man rescue him from a fire, but also after the vehicle got stuck, and Travis was unable to walk any further, Tristan carried him the rest of the way to the Shallow Bay, then the perimeter guard found them.” He walked over and gripped Tristan’s shoulder. “He turned out to be a hero after all.”

“Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with.” Tristan said, removing the blanket from around his shoulder and draping over Travis. “Someone showed me the right path to choose, and thankfully I took it. She… made me believe.”

“She? Who?” Scott asked.

“Ember.” Tristan whispered. Feeling a tight squeeze, Scott looked down to see Travis awake and holding his hand. Scott dropped down to his knees at the side of the bed and rested his head against the mattress, sobbing. “It was Ember.” He repeated. “They told me that my grandmother Selene used to see things. Hallucinations, apparitions, ghosts… whatever you wish to call them. She’d see visions of things that were long since past, or what was yet to come. Some even called her a witch…but I believe in her, I believe that she could speak to the dead, because I saw things… no… I saw people… loved ones that moved on and they were as real to me as you are. The little girl that came to me, she told me that I was making the wrong choice, and that if I kept going on, I was going to die. I wanted Burnley dead and Prox to be saved so badly that I felt the rage deep within my very bones, but her words, her eyes… they whispered to me and convinced me that I was wrong. So I ended up at Eden, where I found Travis trapped. None of this would have happened if she didn’t come to me.”

Once again, the tears would not stop pouring out of Scott’s eyes. He clumsily wiped them away, thankful that they were tears of joy this time and not sorrow. “How can you be certain it was her?”

The doctor stepped out of the room. Tristan reached into the sleeve of his shirt and slipped something out. “Because of this.” A bright red silk ribbon came spilling out of his sleeve, glimmering with a beautiful incandescence in the dim candlelight. Scott could not take his eyes off it. “She asked me to give this to you, so that you will have something to remember her by.”

With shaking fingers, Scott touched the soft fabric and started to weep. Tristan sank down to the floor and held the larger man in his arms, comforting him. “She’s gone now, isn’t she? I came all the way to Prox hoping to find her…she was taken from me…”

Tristan placed the ribbon in Scott’s hand and pushed his fingers around it. He clutched it tightly. “And you did. You were able to let her go so that she can rest in peace. She will live on in your heart for as long as you wish it. Her soul is free and her memory will be forever in your heart. Because you had the strength to do this, I lived, and so did Travis. We’re all together now, and we will find a way to save Prox. The three of us…our family.” Tristan stood up and extended his hand for Scott, helping him to his feet. Giving him one more brief hug, he turned toward the door. “I am going to leave you two alone now. I think you have some catching up to do, and I am not needed here. Take your time, come find me when you’re ready.”

“Tristan wait!” Scott called after him. Tristan stopped with his hand on the door. “About your mother… Lizzie… I tried everything I could to save her…”

Smiling, Tristan pulled the door open. “I know, Scott. I know.” With those words, he slipped silently out, leaving Scott and Travis alone together for the first time in years.

Travis pulled the oxygen mask down away from his face and eased himself up into a semi sitting position. The added weight of all the blankets that had been thrown on him made it almost impossible. Scott tried his best to help him get comfortable and then pulled a chair over to sit next to the bed. He wrung his hands together nervously. “Travis, I know that this is a shitty time to ask, but I need to know why you came to Prox.”

“Do you really need me to say it out loud? After everything that has happened, after everything we’ve both been through. Knowing why I came here isn’t going to change anything is it? Can we please just put the past behind us and start all over again?” He reached out and took hold of one of Scott’s hands. “I do need to tell you that I was sent here to do some awful things. I had no choice in the matter. I’ve committed some terrible crimes, ones that I know will haunt me until the day that I die. I am not proud of them, but I can say that I did what I did because of one simple thing… love. I did exactly what they told me to because I knew you’d be safe if I cooperated, that’s all I ever wanted… I wanted you to be safe, because you are the one that I love.”

Scott leaned forward slightly in the chair. The feeling of Travis’s warm hands holding his felt right and perfect, even though he was trembling. “I am?”

“Yes. All those nights we spent together on Skype writing music, jamming with one another, or just even talking brought me closer to you. There’s just something magical about music, like when it hits you, it takes you away from the place that you are and transports you somewhere else. Some where there isn’t any pain, sorrow or grief. It’s where you can close your eyes and escape from normal life for a short time and when you find that there is someone else in the world who shares these feelings, this…passion with you, then you start to realize that you want to share more of your real world with that person. You want to be in the same room with them every single day, sharing thoughts and ideas with, no matter how crazy they might be. You start to feel this connection between your hearts that grows stronger every moment that you are together, and feels empty and hollow when they are away. This is what it has been for me.” Travis shook his head. “I know that you were with Stephanie, and I know that you had a daughter, but I still fell in love with you. You are the other half of me, but I could never tell you this. I saw how happy you were with Ember, and I didn’t want to get in the way of that, so I kept quiet. Scott… I was the one who told the FEC to come for her, and started this whole mess… and that means that I was the reason that she died. I won’t ever dare ask forgiveness for that…and if you want to hate me for it, that’s okay… it won’t change how I feel about you. Prox is being consumed by darkness… what Tristan says about saving it someday won’t ever happen… it’s dying now, minute by minute, hour by hour. I don’t think that any of us will live to see the sun rise again. This might be the last night that we have together, and I wanted to tell you how I feel before it all gets taken away.”

Outside the window of the Infirmary, the wind howled and assaulted the glass with unrelenting mercy. The glow of the candle light inside the small room covered the two men in its soft light, making them oblivious to the storm raging on outside. Scott looked away from Travis for a moment. “You weren’t the reason I lost Ember… I knew that you tried to save her, I’ve always known.” His eyes filled to the rim with tears, threatening to spill over. “I need to tell you this now... as much as it kills me to do so, you deserve the truth.” Scott felt Travis's eyes on him. “I woke up and didn't know where I was, actually, I didn't care. I immediately went searching for Ember through some laboratory. It was so freaking cold there. I searched for what felt like hours, searching room by room, and when I found her there, attached to all sorts of machines, her heart barely beating, I could tell that she was in so much pain. She looked at me with those beautiful eyes as they pumped all sorts of drugs through her and I knew what I had to do.” Reaching up, he covered his face with his hands. “She started to get cold so fast… and I heard them rush in and surround us. They were talking to me, telling me that they wanted one more chance, they could bring her back, make her better than ever, all I had to do was hand her little body over to them again. They would take care of everything; I could have my baby back… Travis, I HAD to have her back. God help me, I let them have her. Fuck… why did I let them have her again? It was all such a nightmare. They took her away from me, brought her here and did god knows what to her. I kept searching, but I was never able to find her.” Scott's voice trailed off. He stared at the red ribbon wrapped around his hand. “Then last night she came to me and told me to let her go… it was then that I knew she was dead. After all that they had done to her, her little body couldn’t handle anymore and it finally gave up. The reason for me being here, the reason for my entire life was now gone.” Scott took a moment to collect himself and then managed a small smile towards Travis. “I don’t know what to do now. There’s this empty feeling inside of me.”

Pulling himself up and out of the bed, Travis knelt down on the floor with wobbly legs in front of Scott. “You do exactly what you said you’d do. You make good on the promise you made to Lizzie and you protect and care for Tristan as if he were your own. I talked to him on the way back to the Shallow Bay from Eden, he told me everything about Burnley, and how his childhood was taken from him. He needs guidance right now, he needs a father figure. Scott, you are strong enough to be that for him. We might only have a few hours left on Prox, we might have a few days, or weeks… who the fuck knows… but the families out there, they all have each other to comfort them, and he doesn’t. He needs you…” Leaning up slightly, Travis brought his face close to Scott’s. He could feel the scratchy sandpaper of his beard brushing against his skin. “Someone else needs you too.” He whispered.

As their shadowy silhouettes danced along the walls in the candlelight, Scott pulled back, away from Travis who nearly toppled over with the sudden shift. His body weak from the ordeal he had just been through refused to hold him up any more and he started falling down, crumbling onto the floor. A moment before he would have hit, Scott caught him and wrapped his strong arms around him. Swooping down low, he scooped up his body like it was a rag doll and lifted it up, bringing him safely back to bed. “I am sorry.” Travis said, as he looked away and pulled the blankets back up around him.

Scott grabbed hold of his hand and pushed the blankets away. “Don’t be.” Easing himself down onto the bed, he kicked off his shoes and moved in next to Travis, wrapping his body around him. Travis reached over and slipped his arm over Scott’s chest, pulling him in closer. His fingertips wiggled in between the buttons of his shirt, seeking out the soft, supple flesh underneath and then suddenly a coughing fit overcame him. Travis leaned over, his body wracked with spasms and Scott grabbed for the oxygen mask, handing it to him. Travis shook his head.

“No.” He whispered. “I don’t need that. I just need you.” 

With those words, Scott held his best friend in his arms and kissed him.

Outside of the Infirmary door, Tristan stood, watching the scene unfold. The candles that once burned bright, illuminating the room beyond were starting to melt down now, and it was becoming harder and harder to see what was going on. Soon the shadows took over and he knew it was time to leave. Something told him that he wouldn’t see either of the men again for the rest of the night. He felt a little lonely and was worried about going into the great hall, to be with people who barely trusted him. Clutching his necklace in his hand, he turned away from the doors and leaned up against the wall. “What am I supposed to do now?” he asked the empty hallway.

“You can come to the garden with me.” A small voice replied. Glancing down, Tristan saw Ember, or at least the ghost of her standing before him.

She was surrounded in a pale pillar of light, which illuminated the highlights in her red hair. “Why didn’t you go with the others?” Tristan asked. “It’s dangerous for a soul to remain here on Prox while the Shepherd of the Damned walks free. You’re job here is done, you saved me, you saved Travis and probably saved Scott too. Go be at peace now.”

Ember shook her head. “No, not yet. There’s something you have to see first. It’s in the garden.” She reached her hand up and put it in his. “Will you come with me?”

A chill ran down his spine when she touched his skin. “What is it?” He asked curiously.

“Not what…. Who.” She answered in a sweet voice.

“Who?”

She smiled. “Thomas, Lizzie and Selene. They are waiting to see you, but they can’t stay very long, so we have to go now. Are you ready?”

Excitement and elation filled Tristan’s heart. This was his family. “Yes Ember. I’d love to meet them.” Ember giggled and hand and hand they walked through the halls of the Shallow Bay, heading for Lizzie’s garden. Moments after they left in the silent, empty hall, an ominous shape appeared. Obscured by shadows, all that could be seen was the figure of a man dressed in a black suit, cloaked in darkness. He stood there, not moving, motionless and stoic watching them walk away.

Everything was coming to an end. I could feel it. Benjamin, Burnley, me, Prox…everything. I thought about how this all started, with a dream and a cry for help. Brock never wanted to get me involved, he wanted Thomas to help him, and now I knew the real reason why. My interference with the situation made things worse. If I had never left the Shallow Bay, Ben would never have become the Shepherd of the Damned, Burnley wouldn’t be alive again and Prox would still be green and lush, as it should be. It was only here at the last few moments of my life that I realized this. People were dying because of my choices and actions, and I had to find a way to make amends for it all. As I lie there on the bed, watching the room spin with a dizzying madness, I felt alone, truly alone for the first time in my life. I had always depended on Ben’s love for me, to keep me going through the rough times, but now I had to face the possibility that it might never happen again. I didn’t know what the Shepherd of the Damned had done to him. Burnley said that he could sense that he was starving, hungry and ravenous for souls, and this gave me hope that all was not lost just yet. There was still some part of Benjamin that was human, and I had to find him first, before Burnley did and try to reason with him. All Burnley would need is a few drops of Ben’s Eden tainted blood and he’d be unstoppable. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if somehow the power of the Shepherd of the Damned transferred from father to son as well. I had to stop it, even if it meant my own death.

I was dying. I could feel it. It was like this slow moving numbness that started in my legs and arms and slowly started creeping up my body, sapping away at all my strength. I had to get out of there, and quickly before the weakness totally consumed me, and I would be completely helpless. I hated Burnley for doing this to me, and even more, I hated myself for being manipulated by him again. If I died here, it would be a meaningless, useless death and I couldn’t let that happen. I wasn’t going to be miraculously saved by one of my friends barging in at the last minute. They were all dead and it was my fault. No one was going to save me but myself. Moving my arm slightly, I noticed that the plastic tubing that Burnley had attached to me was starting to pull lose. If I could get the needle out of my arm, then the blood flow would stop and I wouldn’t bleed out all over the bed. I started to wiggle my arm back and forth, moving the tubing so that it dropped down to my fingertips. My nails just lightly grazed over it as I twisted my hand back to take hold of it. Not far enough. Cursing underneath my breath, I shifted and bent my elbow, trying as hard as I could to get one half inch more of the tubing loose. Soon my efforts paid off and I got a loop around my finger. I decided it was best to pull it out quickly, as any rocking back and forth might injure the vein which it was embedded into. Taking a deep breath and holding it in my lungs, I grabbed the line and pulled hard at it. It didn’t take much before I felt a stabbing sensation shoot down my arm, as the needle slipped out, spraying a fine line of blood on my hand before falling off to the side. A fine crimson trail started to flow out of the penetration site, but it was nothing as compared to having it forcibly pumped out of me. The dampness of the blood soaked into the leather restraint cuff around my wrist and I found that I could now easily slip my arm out of it. Pulling it out, I quickly reached over and unbuckled the other clasp, then moved down to my ankles and freed them as well. I leaned back on the bed and took hold of the massive amount of wires that Burnley had attached to my chest and pulled them off. The computer behind me suddenly started beeping loudly, alerting anyone within a thousand foot radius that it was unplugged. I couldn’t let Burnley hear this. He had to think that I was still laying there, dying on the bed. I quickly stood up, and then the entire world pitched and turned. Clouds filled my vision and my knees refused to support me. I lunged forward, trying to steady myself on the crash cart, but the wheels weren’t locked and I fell harshly against it, tipping it over and bringing both it and myself down to the floor with a loud bang. I tried to blink away the distorted, blurry vision from my eyes and look for the power cords which ran into the monitor. It continued to beep louder and louder, displaying bright green flat lines that flashed in the darkened room. My weakened body wouldn’t respond, and soon I found myself using what little strength I had left to pull myself over the toppled cart, towards the wall, my fingers stretching, reaching, desperately hoping to find those power cords. I was aware of my left arm still dripping, leaving a thin line of blood droplets all over the floor around me. After what felt like an eternity, I managed to come upon the cords and unplugged them as swiftly as I could. The room fell silent, drowned in a unnatural darkness that made me feel incredibly uneasy.

I was so tired. I wanted to lay right down there on that floor and fall asleep, just for a little while, long enough to re-energize myself, but I couldn’t. I had lost a lot of blood and if I closed my eyes, there was a chance that I might not ever wake back up again. I had to find Ben now before Burnley did, I had to warn him. Grabbing the blood soaked sheet off the bed, I managed to rip off the cleanest corner of the cloth that I could find and wrap it around my arm to stop the bleeding. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. I used the rail of the bed to pull myself up into a standing position, and waited until the dancing blobs of light in front of my eyes went away. I was weak beyond belief and taking a single step felt like a enormous task. I couldn’t give up though. So much depended on this. My pulse raced as I started to move around the bed and out into the room. The darkness was so intense, it felt a blanket covering everything up and muffling out every single sound. Slowly, I swam through it, first moving a few inches at a time, and then a few feet. I was afraid that I would faint at any moment, so I stuck close to the wall, using it for support. Soon I found the large double doors that led back out into the winding hallway of Dawn and threw them open. High overhead, the fluorescent lights flickered on and off. The base, along with the rest of them, was losing power. Standing at an intersection, debating which way to go, I suddenly heard a loud crash behind me and a howl of rage. Burnley had come to check on me and found me missing. In a panic I started run as fast as I could without falling over, my heart was pounding loudly in my ears down the maze of corridors, twisting and turning in every direction. I wasn’t sure if I really heard his boots thumping behind me or not, but I wasn’t going to risk precious moments turning around to look.

I had only made it a short distance before my body refused to cooperate. Light headed and weak, I stopped to catch my breath, leaning the back of my head against the wall when I saw him. Standing there, glaring at me, Burnley in his grim glory, waiting to move in for the kill. I refused to make it easy for him. If he wanted to use me as bait for Ben, then he would have to catch me first. Turning quickly, I managed to run down another hall and through another set of doors, and then realized I made a fatal error. I didn’t find another passageway to duck into to get away from him, I didn’t find the perfect hiding spot where he would never find me. No… what I found was the exit to the base.

Standing outside in the blistering cold, my torn shirt flapping uselessly against my bare chest the wind and snow hit me full on, almost knocking me off balance. I instantly turned around and faced the door. I had to get back in there, back to Ben, it didn’t matter that Burnley was on my heels. I couldn’t leave Ben behind. I had to save him. It was only then that I realized the door was electronically sealed from the inside. “No!” I pounded my fists against it. “No no no! This isn’t happening.” The louder I screamed and the harder that I hit that freezing cold steel, the more helpless I was starting to feel. I had just escaped from certain death at Burnley’s hands, only to find myself trapped outside on Prox, and would mostly likely freeze to death. “FUCK!” I shouted. My voice was drowned out by the howling wind and consumed by the snow. Wrapping my shirt tightly around me, I took a few steps forward, trying to get my bearings and then suddenly, I knew where I was. I was standing on top of a winding stone staircase, which was completely covered with snow and ice. It wrapped down to a path which led to two massive steel gates, which were left open and clattered together in the wind. These were the gates which Selene had guarded earlier, the ones where Thomas had lost his life, and Brock’s soul ceased to exist. Beyond that, covered in a massive mound of snow was the vehicle that we had driven up in the one where Thomas's body was resting. My eyes were focused on it, trying to think of a plan, when I saw movement behind it. Squinting my eyes, I struggled to see past all the drifting snow and fluttering snowflakes that hung in the air, obscuring my sight.

He stepped out from behind the vehicle, moving slowly like a black ink stain over white parchment. His boots crunched the snow and ice as he came around the side, carrying a majestic air of awe with him. Even the snowflakes around him seem to part and move out of his way. He was dressed almost exactly how I remembered him, in his usual black button down shirt and tight fitting pants, but this time he had added a simple leather jacket to the ensemble. It hung heavily over his shoulders and ended at his waist with a thick leather belt. This was the Benjamin Burnley that I knew and loved…almost. There was something to his appearance that just didn’t seem right to me. I shifted and moved down a few steps to get a better look at him and could easily see the change in him… it terrified me. No longer was he the robust, healthy man that I recalled from before, but merely a shadow of him. Ben had lost weight, a lot of it actually, so much in fact that I could see the very shape of his body had changed, looking more skeletal and gaunt now. Dark circles painted the skin beneath his eyes, and a full beard of hair covered his jaw. I took a deep breath. I had to make a decision now. Ben was right in front of me, a few feet away but hadn’t spotted me yet. I needed to confront him, tell him of Burnley’s insane plan and warn him of the danger that Prox was in, but I was terrified to do so. I remembered Lizzie’s last transmission saying that Ben had taken her child, and had ruthlessly killed so many men back in the Shallow Bay. He couldn’t possibly be in his right mind if he had done this. It was the Eden drug that was influencing his decisions and actions. He was highly unstable, and I wasn’t sure what would happen if I confronted him, and dropped all this information on him at once. He might think I was lying and do something terrible to me, or he might believe me and heed my warning. We could take care of Burnley together and head back to the Shallow Bay. Either option was completely feasible. My body started to shiver uncontrollably now, and I had to make a decision fast or else freeze to death. As Ben made his way back around the vehicle, I stood there, unable to take my eyes off of him. I missed him terribly and wanted to put things right so we could be together again. This time, I swore to myself that I wouldn’t ever let things get as bad as they did. I’d devote the rest of my life to him and him alone. He deserved that. I just wanted one more chance.

Lost in my own thoughts, I failed to notice that Ben had moved out of sight and was walking out into the storm, away from Dawn. I panicked and started to walk down the ice covered stairs, taking two at a time, trying my best to keep my balance. The last thing I would need is to fall and split my skull open. The lashing wind picked up as I made it almost to the black gates, but Ben was no where to be seen. A feeling of nausea started to bubble up from my insides and my head hurt. Gasping for breath, I reached out to the wrought iron fence, holding onto it for support as the world around me spun and pitched in a hysteric frenzy. My fingers clutched at the cold steel and my body was tormented by waves upon waves of weakness. The blood loss and severe temperature outside were sending me into shock. I had to do something, quickly. Then I remembered what Burnley said to me, about Benjamin always coming to my rescue. I would call out to him, hoping that he would hear my voice over the wind and come save me. There was no way I could get back into the base now without his help. I was done for. As the snow and wind lashed out harshly against my face, I summoned every breath that I had in my lungs and called out his name. “BENJAMIN! BEN! BEN! IT’S DUSTIN. I NEED YOU.” My knees were ready to buckle underneath me. There was no response. “BEN! PLEASE. HELP ME.” I waited, listening for the crunch of snow as he returned to the gates. Nothing. I felt like I could cry. “Ben… come back….” I whimpered, just as I dropped down to my knees in the ice and slush. My eyes twitched, searching around for him. I wanted to see that dark shape walk out of the storm and come for me. I wanted to feel his power descend on me and completely overwhelm me. “…ben… please…” I cried. The tears froze on my cheeks, painful and stinging. “…you brought me here…to prox… you can’t just leave me here…I don’t care what you’ve become…I still love you… I’ve always loved you… I can’t survive here without you….please… don’t leave me to die here alone…” 

Once again, I waited, listening intently for his voice to call out to me, tell me that everything is going to be okay, to say that he was coming to save me. Still nothing, the only response to my pleas was that of the wind, howling and mocking me. I leaned forward, lowering my head and plunging the palms of my hands down into the ground in front of me. The cold snow felt good against my feverish flesh. This is how I would die on Prox, a fitting end for me, a pathetic man with a cold heart who couldn’t see past his own greed to help others.

I closed my eyes and waited. The shivering had stopped, which meant that I was beyond the point of hypothermia now. There would be no saving me. The next stage of my demise was death. I'd fall asleep and never wake up. “ben…” I whispered, to myself. “…what would I give to be in your arms right now, to feel your touch just one more time…” At that moment, I heard footsteps behind me. I didn’t bother opening my eyes. It wasn’t real anyway. Then I felt the soft touch of fingertips brushing over my cheek. It was the delicate, gentle touch that I had felt before, I’d know it anywhere. I could sense him standing behind me. The Shepherd of the Damned was coming to take me after all. I would die in peace, knowing that Ben was the one to end it all. I still kept my eyes closed, I didn’t want to see those black wings, not ever again. Withdrawing his fingers from my cheek, he stood silently, looming over me. This was how it was meant to end. I could feel the heat from his body so close to mine. I wanted it to be over. “It’s alright Ben.” I whispered to him. “Take my soul. It’s yours. As long as I can be part of you, forever…”

He shifted behind me and bent down for a moment to whisper in my ear. “Open your eyes, Bates.” He purred. It was Burnley.

My eyes shot open, just as he straightened up and grabbed a handful of my hair, yanking me back up to a kneeling position. I reached up, trying to free myself from him when my eyes fell upon the sight of Ben, just a few feet away from me. The movement must have caught his attention, because the moment he saw me, all the color left his face and his eyes widened. “Dustin!” he shouted. He sprang into action and started to run for me, but I couldn’t see him anymore, Burnley yanked my head back sharply, and my eyes fixed on the sky. Only the snow filled the dark night now. I heard something that sounded like steel being dragged across concrete and then there was a rush of air. Pulling hard at Burnley’s wrists, I struggled to get his hands off of me, but it was too late. I felt the kiss of the sharp steel from Burnley’s broken sword slice into the thin skin of my neck. Ben shouted loudly, as the blood started pouring from the wound, drenching my chest in bright red waves. Burnley let go of me and my body crumpled down onto the ground, landing in the soft snow. I saw him slowly start to ascend the stairs back up to the base at a casual pace like nothing even happened. He turned around for a moment to look at me, smiling in triumph and then with a sudden thrust, jammed what was left of the sword into the ground, and continued onward to the top of the stairs and out of sight.

I couldn’t breathe. The snow around me was turning red, and I could feel the warmth leaving my body and spilling out onto the snow. The bastard had neatly sliced my throat before Ben could reach me, and now accomplished part of his plan to lure him in. There was a flash of black and then I felt Ben’s strong arms around me. I could pick up the faint scent of death and decay that surrounded him, but I didn’t care. Carefully, he pulled my upper body onto his lap and held me. I looked up at his face, the face of someone who could have easily been a stranger to me now, but I knew him. One glance into those eyes, no matter what color they were and I knew this was the man that I loved. I tried to lift my hand to reach up to him, but it wouldn’t work, only the very tips of my fingers twitched. Seeing this, Ben grabbed hold of my hand and laced his fingers together with mine and brought it up to his lips, kissing it gently. I had been so wrong about Burnley; his kisses were nothing like Ben’s at all. Ben’s were tender and loving, laced with pure affection, not harshly seductive and manipulative. I had been a complete idiot to think that they were even remotely alike. I wanted to tell him that I was sorry, I wanted to warn him about Burnley, but as I tried to speak, the words came out as nothing more than a loud, raucous croak. “Dustin…” He whispered. The Eden drug was still pumping through his veins, but as he said my name, I felt that I had reconnected with him, and driven the Shepherd away, just for one brief moment. I knew that he was fighting against it. Looking into his beautiful eyes, I could see the amber color reflecting the white from the snow around us, and the terrible crimson streaks of blood flowing from the gaping wound on my neck. Then I remembered Burnley standing at the top of the stairs. This was all part of his plan, he knew that Ben was too strong to take on as the Shepherd of the Damned at full strength, by himself, so he used me as bait… and I ran right to him. Oh god, I was nothing more than a rat, running through a maze, looking for the reward at the end. Burnley didn’t have any intentions of ‘saving’ Ben at all, he just wanted the Eden drug. All the compassion, all the goodness I thought I saw in Burnley was nothing more than his usual manipulation and trickery. I was such a fool to trust him.

The world around me started to grow dark and dim. I was so tired. I kept my eyes focused on Ben and then noticed a slight look of sorrow there. He was really grieving for me. He was feeling the emotion which meant he was weakened. Then suddenly, I recalled Lizzie’s words begging me to save the Shepherd of the Damned. At first I didn’t understand why she would say such a thing, and now I did. If Burnley killed me in front of Ben, it would give him the opportunity to take his father down, because he was distracted, and more than likely fighting the power that was flowing through him. Ben had to let the darkness in, he needed that power to defeat Burnley, and I had to find a way to help him. I needed to make my sacrifice.

I tried to speak again, but nothing would come but gurgles. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Burnley starting to advance down the stairs again, he was coming for Ben. “Ben…..” I swallowed a mouthful of blood just for one word. “……Burnl….. will….. kill….you…..” Holding me tightly, Ben shook his head and looked down sympathetically. He was pitying me. No no.. this was wrong. I didn’t want him feeling sorry for me, I didn’t want him grieving for me! That is what Burnley was counting on, he had to keep him weak and distracted. Damn it. “…….he….. wants…. Your blood….. the…. Eden….. drug……” The pain was too great now, I couldn’t breathe, I had only seconds left. Each word fell from my lips stained in rivers of blood. I could taste the copper liquid in my mouth, spilling out down over my chin. I wanted to tell Ben that I loved him. Then the last words came out of my mouth, they weren’t the words that I wanted to say, they were the words that I needed to say. “……take…. My soul….use it…..kill…Burnley….. free…. Prox….please.” Holding me against his chest, I could hear Ben’s heart beating, and it comforted me. He was so warm. I closed my eyes and exhaled. From the moment I left the Shallow Bay, I regretted walking away from Ben and leaving him there. So many times, I said that I wanted to be back in Ben’s arms, and now finally I was. My story was finally over.

Benjamin let out a loud shriek, a cry of rage from deep within him that shook and rattled the ground around him. Holding Dustin’s lifeless body close to him, he cradled it in his arms like a broken child, rocking back and forth. The snow fell softly down around him, covering everything in a pristine blanket of white that hid the terrible puddles of blood leaking out from the body. Every single inch of him was filled with anguish and rage.

“Now you finally know what it’s like to lose something precious to you.” Burnley said softly, coming to stand behind his father. His footsteps were quiet, almost inaudible as he moved. “Despite your best efforts, people are going to be hurt when it's time for them to be hurt. There’s really nothing you can do about it. You’re not the savior of the people, or the Shepherd of the Damned. You are a man who cries at loss and bleeds when cut. I feel bad for all those people who believed in you and thought that you could save them. What stupid sheep they were! You’re not the Jesus Ben leading his flock to salvation after all. But it’s okay, dear father… I am going to help you out; I am going to take all the pain away…take the burden off your tired shoulders.”

Not turning his head, or even bothering to acknowledge his son’s presence, Ben knelt there in the snow, still holding Dustin in his arms, sitting in silence. There was absolutely no expression on his face.

Slightly annoyed, Burnley pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. He took a long drag, letting the nicotine flow into his lungs and held it there for long moments before exhaling. He did this quite often, on several occasions, which always gave him the precious moments he needed to think, and carefully plan his next words or action. The white, puffy cloud of smoke slowly rose into the frigid air around his head and hung there before slowly dissipating. He knew that he had the upper hand now, Ben was broken and there was no need to rush things. He could smell the chemicals which saturated his father’s blood, the last precious drops of the Eden drug, stashed away, waiting to be pumped from its temporary host. “I admire you, Ben… I admire the strength that you have for putting the Shepherd back in it’s cage. No one else could ever have done that, except for you. I can’t imagine what you must be going through now, to realize that you have all that blood on your hands, and I don’t mean Dustin’s blood, but the blood of all those poor, innocent men at the Shallow Bay. They tried so hard to stop you from taking Lizzie’s child. Do you remember how she got down on her knees and begged you not to go. That was a horrible thing to do, especially after your own child was taken from you so long ago. Ah, the anguish of a parent losing their own flesh and blood, having it ripped right out of their arms and taken away is terribly awful indeed.” Burnley took another drag off the cigarette and flicked his ashes onto the ground, where they landed close to Ben. “But I suppose these things had to be done. The Shepherd needed souls…. Or was it you who needed them, father? Sometimes it's hard to tell.”

Benjamin still did not move, and Burnley was delighted. He relished in the fact that he had won, beaten his father down so far that he wasn’t even able to speak or retaliate in anyway. The joyful feeling of elation soared through him, and gave him a high more intense than the Eden drug could have. “You and I are so much like, after all, father. We both have loved and lost. I will confess to you that I was using Brock at first, but he awakened something inside of me that I never knew existed. Of course I also hated him for doing that, but once I learned how to control those emotions and feelings, I was able to accept it.”

“That’s not love, Burnley.” Ben said quietly. “You don’t know anything about love, you never will either. It’s not something you can control or turn off and on.”

Burnley walked around Ben, stopping in front of him. Ben still did not look up at his son. Sighing, Burnley squatted down in front of his father, resting his arms on his thighs. He glanced at Dustin’s body, which was already starting to stiffen up, and the color fading from his skin. “And what makes you the expert on it? Hmm? You can’t seriously think that what you and Dustin had was real love can you?” Chuckling, Burnley nearly fell over, amused by his own sarcasm. Ben looked up at him and he stopped laughing. Burnley cleared his throat. “Fun fact—Right before he came running out here, Bates was in the Infirmary with me.”

“Burnley stop.” Benjamin warned. The tone in his voice had a hint of anger in it, and his eyes flashed a brief warning towards his son.

Grinning, Burnley stood back up and took a few steps away, turning his face upwards to the sky. He closed his eyes and a calm descended on him. “I told him once before that I would forever be with him, I’d get inside of his head and live there, and be in his dreams, and that is exactly what happened. While you were sleeping away in your bed at night, he was laying awake, tossing and turning, trying not to imagine me there next to him instead of you. Every waking moment, I was there with him. Even when the two of you were having sex, and you’d reach for him, all he could think about was my fingers touching him. Your kisses were my kisses, and no matter how far you went, he always wanted it to go one step further, he wanted you to push him over the edge and make him scream as I did. And when he finally opened himself up for you, he would grab at the bed sheets his fingers tearing into the material, his teeth grinding hard, doing everything that he could to stop from calling out my name.”

Staring up at his son with an intense look of hatred, Ben could feel his heart start to beat rapidly. “Shut the fuck up, Burnley.” He said, his fingers shaking. Something was happening inside of him. He could no longer feel the snowflakes touching his skin, or the damp coolness from the mud and slush he was sitting in. A familiar numbness was taking over. Looking away from Burnley for a moment, Ben glanced down to Dustin’s body in his arms. He didn’t want to believe a single word that his son was saying, he knew that he should stand up and silence the boy, and yet… the cold, dead body of the man that he loved in his arms pinned him to the ground with a tremendous weight. There was a calm look of serenity on Dustin’s face, almost as if he had finally found peace. His soul was free. Benjamin trembled, feeling a hole in his heart form.

“You know that everything I am saying is the truth Ben. Why would I bother lying to you now? It would be pointless. I thought that I would be honest here and give you a little insight on what was really going on with Dustin. But that’s not the half of it… the worst part is yet to come. Would you like me to tell you?” Burnley opened his eyes and looked down at this father, who met his gaze and held onto it, seething with silent rage. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Burnley moved slowly, moving closer to Ben once again and squatted down in the snow right in front of him. For a moment, he didn’t speak, but merely sat there with a content look on his face, proud of his rantings and delighted that he was going to deliver the news to his father that would truly break his heart and finish him off. Reaching up, he placed a hand alongside of Ben’s face and stroked his fingers across his jawline. The feeling of the scruffy bits of facial hair underneath his fingertips excited and delighted Burnley. He let his hand move down slightly to around Ben’s neck, sliding around the back of it. He could feel the bump of each bone in his spine underneath his thin flesh. Guiding his father’s face closer to his, Burnley brought his lips to over one of Ben’s ears. His words were light and feather like, deliberately seductive. “Your friend, Keith Wallen is dead. Dustin was the one who sent him to his death. Keith didn’t know anything about Prox; he was a completely innocent soul, one whom Dustin blatantly used. Shaun as well. Needlessly killed off, another victim.” Burnley removed his hand from Ben’s neck, swishing it along his shoulder and down the front of his body. “But that’s not the worst part. As I said earlier, Bates was in the Infirmary with me. He had a breakdown, a complete collapse and was going on ranting about how much he wanted to ‘save’ you father. Talking himself into a frenzy, he collapsed in my arms. I offered him a bit of comfort… a bit of human compassion and he saw the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation. A wanton, lustful expression filled his face, bubbling up from deep within him. It exploded in a fit of sexual energy that brought his lips to mine. He was searching for something with that kiss, something that would confirm every single feeling that he had for me, sort of like affirmation of his own sins… ” Burnley shifted slightly, his lips leaving Ben’s ear and moving toward his cheek, lightly grazing over his feverish flesh as he spoke. “That’s right…. The man that you ‘love’ so much tried to force himself onto me. He reached out and pulled me into him. I could feel the hardness of his body against mine. There was no denying the fact that I excited him. I could sense no shame, no fear in him at all, only a callous need for carnal, physical affection which he had been longing for, for so long. It wasn’t enough that he had you, he wanted me, and in that moment, he was able to cast aside his love and affection for you, even his desire to save you, all so that he can throw me on the bed with that rotting corpse and fuck me.” A single tear escaped Benjamin’s eye and Burnley kissed it away. “Of course I denied him the pleasure in it. I refused him and pushed him away. He looked up at me from the floor, broken and torn in two, waiting for me to acknowledge him. I didn’t. I turned away from him, away from the man who broke Brock’s heart beyond repair; away from the person who was going to do the same to you. I couldn’t let that happen, not to you father… that's why I opened his throat and bled him out. It was a merciful act. You’re hurting now, I can feel it. It doesn’t have to be this way. Please father, let me help you for once, let me take all the pain away. I can make you forget Dustin Bates, and this miserable place.”

Benjamin’s amber colored eyes set on his son. His arms shot out, and he grabbed hold of Burnley before he could react, taking hold of him by his throat and rising to his feet. “You mother fucker! You have NO right to speak to me that way.” Rushing forward, he slammed Burnley’s body into the side of the snow covered all terrain vehicle that was parked behind them. His spine hit the passenger’s side door with a loud crack and he slumped forward. Ben thrust him backwards against it again, this time hard enough to leave a dent in the metal and held him in place, shouting loudly in the howling wind. “You are nothing Burnley! Do you hear me? NOTHING. You a miserable bastard who doesn't even deserve to be alive.”

Lifting his head slightly, Burnley grinned. “I shouldn’t be alive?” He started to chuckle, not caring about Ben's threat. “That’s grand. “How many times now have you cheated death, only to come back and complicate things even further? You brought Bates here, and started this whole mess, you thought that by escaping a dying planet, you could save the both of you and just pick up and start over here, never mind whose life you might be ruining in the process. Honestly, if you think about it, you are the reason why I am here. The FEC wanted your head so badly that they went back to snatch me right from mother’s arms. Everything that they did to me was your fault… and the worst part… of it all….”

“Shut the FUCK up Burnley, or I swear to fucking god, I will end you right here.” Ben tightened his grip on Burnley and glared at him. “Stop fucking talking.”

“The worst part…” Burnley continued, not listening to Ben’s warning. His voice lowered. “….you knew that they had me… you knew I was here… and what they were doing to me… you let them have me… because you couldn’t save us both… it was either Dustin or me. You spent countless days searching for him, under the guise of helping the Messengers and their rebellion. Did it bother you at all, knowing that you were lying to them over and over, pushing the men to stand up and fight against then FEC when truthfully, you didn’t give a shit about their war. All you wanted was to find Dustin and when you finally found him, it was too late. How did it feel knowing that your son, your only child was being brutally tortured and not being able to do a thing about it. It must have been excruciating… or was it? The FEC had already turned me into a monster, incapable of any emotion except for rage, hate and anger. I was lost, and you were content to let me go, chalk it up to fate and hope that our paths would never cross. You got exactly what you wanted, you got Dustin back, but you lost your son.” Burnley took a deep breath, still confined by Ben’s strong arms against the vehicle, his body began to shivering from the cold, and he tried to hide it. Gritting his chattering teeth together, he whispered to his father. “It’s alright, I don’t hate you for it.” He turned his face upwards with a look of sadness. “The FEC got so far into my head, that’s all I could think about… hating you and getting revenge, it became my sole reason for living. Without it, I would have had nothing.”

The snow slowly drifted down around the two men, father and son, locked together in a single shared moment of hatred and rage. The wind had calmed down a bit, and a hushed, deadly silence descended over everything. Ben could feel the muscles in his arms starting to ache in protest. He still held Burnley by the throat, pinning him up against the door of the vehicle with no way of escaping. Looking at his son, into the cold icy mirror of his eyes, Ben could feel the torn, twisted soul that was once his own flesh and blood, now corrupted lurking deep inside. “No Burnley, I am not letting you manipulate me with your words or lure me into thinking you’re a victim here. I trusted you once before and you tried to kill me, and I swear to fucking god that I won’t let it happen again. There’s no innocence or good left in you anymore. You can come back to life a million times and every single time will still be evil. I don’t know what game you’re playing, but it ends here. Tonight.” To prove his point, Benjamin tightened his fingers around Burnley’s throat, watching as a rush of red started to fade into his son’s face.

Gasping for breath, Burnley started coughing, struggling to find the strength to speak. “Kill me… if you must but it won’t change the fact that… you are… becoming… just.. .like me… a murderer…and to be like me... you have to do... the worst things.... ever imaginable...” He motioned towards Dustin’s partially snow covered body on the ground at his feet. “After you are finished with me you can go …. And fuck him…. ram your dick… right up his ass…. it’s okay; he won’t… feel a thing…. But you will… if you hurry… while he’s still….. warm.”

“God damn you Burnley!!” Benjamin’s voice boomed, echoing around the high stone walls that surrounded Dawn. Burnley tried to laugh, but it came out as nothing more than a gurgle. He smiled, a wide toothy grin that only fueled Ben’s rage. “I am done with you. No more games.” Letting go of Ben’s hand, Burnley outstretched his arms, a grim mockery of Jesus crucified and smirked. Annoyed beyond belief and shocked at the actions of his son, Benjamin pulled Burnley’s body away from the vehicle for a moment and then in one swift motion, brought him forward again, slamming his head against one of the thick windows. There was a sickening wet sound, and Burnley’s eyes closed for a moment. The wind started to pick up again, turning the snow into shards of ice that lashed out at any bit of exposed skin. Only a few moments passed before Burnley opened his eyes again. His lips were stained red with a thin trickle of blood that flowed from the corner of his mouth, and yet he still smirked at his father menacingly, taunting him.

“…you won’t kill me Benjamin.” Burnley sneered. “…you can’t.” Drawing in as much air from his lungs that he could, Burnley swished the blood that had built up inside of his mouth and spit it at his father. A bright red streak ran down Ben’s face, but he didn’t even feel it. In a fit of rage, he slammed Burnley’s upper body against the window again, and his head collided with the glass hard enough to shatter it. A spider web pattern of cracks began to form behind Burnley, surrounding him in a grim halo. There was blood now flowing down the back of his head and trickling down to his shirt collar. His eyes barely open, Burnley was nearly incoherent, lost in a haze of pain. His legs would no longer support him, it was Ben’s grip on his neck that still kept him standing up right. Through blood stained lips, he mumbled. “…..Bates…… if you….don’t… want to fuck… him…….I’ll….. do….. it….. for….. you. He….. wants.. me… anyway…”

Taking a deep breath, Benjamin pulled his arm back one final time, driving Burnley full on into the glass window. A cry escaped Burnley’s tightened lips. It sounded something like a small animal being stepped on, full of pain and in incredible agony. The glass completely shattered, and Burnley’s eyes went dark. Ben let go of his son’s body, letting it drop down onto the newly fallen snow with shards of glass cascading down on top of it. A feeling of relief came over him. He had finally ended Burnley’s terrible reign of terror. No longer would he be able to manipulate or destroy people for his own personal amusement. His life was over, ended in the only way possible, by the hands of his own flesh and blood. Glancing down at the crumpled body of his son, Ben started to feel uncomfortable. He saw flecks of blood on his hands and then the realization hit him that both Dustin and Burnley were dead. There really was nothing else left for him. He took a step away from the vehicle and glanced off into the distance. Prox was still trapped in darkness. It wasn’t over yet. “WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?” HAVEN’T I GIVEN YOU ENOUGH?” Letting out a intense scream, Ben kicked at the motionless corpse of his son, and then placed his hand over his mouth. “What am I doing?” he whispered to himself. “What have I become?” Emerging from the darkness, a crow swooped down and landed on the edge of the broken window. It cawed loudly, it’s voice loud and almost harassing. Each time it called, a pain shot through Ben’s head, making him feel sick and nauseous. There was something happening to him. As the bird’s calls got louder and louder, Ben was becoming more and more frustrated. He tried to cover his ears, but it was of no use, the birds mocking tone echoed through his head from the inside out; there was no escaping it. It sounded like it was laughing at him. Angry and upset, on the verge of madness, Ben lunged forward and grabbed for the black bird. Moments before his fingers could get a hold on it, it flew away and drifted off into the night. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ben looked through the shattered window where the bird was standing and into the vehicle beyond. His heart sank. There, lying in the back seat was the body of Thomas Bell. His skin was various shades of purple and blue, and there was a thin film of ice that hung in the layers of his dark, curly hair. He was partially propped up in the backseat, in a semi sitting position; his hands stained a deep red, clutching at a massive hole in his stomach where his innards were exposed. Ben’s fingers curled around the edge of the window as he leaned forward, not even noticing that a few shards of glass cut into his flesh. “I am so sorry, Thomas. You didn’t deserve this. No one deserves to die this way. You had a wife…. children… a family…” Ben turned his tear filled eyes up to the sky. The cool touch of the snowflakes felt good on his skin. “Family is everything.”

There was the sound of snow shifting around him, then a quiet whisper, mocking him. “Family is everything…. Except for yours, right father?”

Benjamin’s feet were suddenly knocked out from under him. His body hit the ground hard, knocking the air out of his lungs. He landed on his back, his eyes staring up at the sky, and within moments, Burnley was upon him, faster than he could have ever imagined. Burnley climbed onto Benjamin, balling his hands up into tight fists and started pummeling his father in the face with incredible speed. Ben put his arms up, blocking some of the blows, but Burnley was strangely fierce, driven by some sadistic need to rip his father apart, and more than a few of them connected, colliding with Ben’s face with sickening thuds. Splatters of blood from both men soon covered the ground, staining the snow around them with a grim crimson flood of color. Benjamin’s body shifted and pitched, trying to throw Burnley off of him, but it was of no use. Ben looked at his son’s face, twisted and curled into an awful expression of rage, and stopped fighting. He had enough of the endless struggle. Burnley landed two or three more crushing blows and then flicked the blood off his knuckles. “Eh? What’s this? Are you seriously giving up? I didn’t think you’d give in so quickly, what with all those souls you consumed, you should have put up more of a struggle against me.” He reached down and slowly unbuttoned Ben’s shirt, swirling his dirty fingers over his bare chest. “When will you ever learn? Love makes you weak, that's why you never let it control you.” As Burnley spoke, Ben’s eyes suddenly shot open and he grabbed his hand by the wrist, wrenching it away from his chest. Burnley cried out in pain as Ben gave it a quick twist, neatly breaking several bones in the process. Taking advantage of the distraction, he lunged forward and followed up with a well-aimed punch into his son’s jaw. The force of the blow turned Burnley’s head to the side, but he did not move off Ben’s body. Slowly looking back around, he took his non injured hand and wiped the blood away from his lips, sneering at his father. “You’re boring me. I think it’s about time that I take what I want from you and end this.”

“I know why you’re doing this Burnley” Ben said, trying to remain calm. “This is the first time that you’ve actually felt pain, isn’t it?” He looked up, waiting for a response, but Burnley actually remained silent for a moment. He knew he had to take advantage of the situation, beat him at his own game. “The FEC had you pumped up with so many painkillers and drugs, that you never got the chance to really experience what it is like to feel physical…. And emotional pain. That’s why you are doing this. You are out of control trying to make sense of the hurt you are feeling since you lost Brock, and no matter what you do, it’s not going away, so you’re lashing out, attacking anyone who is trying to hurt you.” Benjamin reached up and gently touched his son’s broken hand. Burnley’s eyes fluttered. “Whatever you’re feeling right now, just let it go. We will walk away from this together and figure it out. Burnley, please. This may be the last chance we will ever have to make things right.”

Burnley’s body seemed to relax, and he stared at Ben’s hand resting on top of his like it was some sort of precious gem. “Can you really save me?” he asked, in a very small, childlike voice.

Lying in the icy cold snow, Ben nodded. “Yes. I can.”

Smiling, Burnley quickly pulled his hand away. “That’s exactly what I was hoping you’d say.” Reaching into his pocket with his good hand, he withdrew the syringe that was filled with the brightly glowing blue chemicals. Ben’s eyes widened as he saw the needle and he tried to move out of the way, but he was too slow. Burnley moved swiftly and brought the syringe down to the center of Ben’s chest, plunging the needle right into his heart and pushing the chemicals in. As the concoction entered his blood stream, Ben began to scream and Burnley quickly stood up, moving away from the flailing man as fast as he could. Sitting up, Ben grabbed hold of the needle that was still protruding from his chest and tossed it aside. A thin trickle of blood oozed out from the place where it had pierced his heart. He began to feel dizzy as he stumbled up to his feet, clutching onto the side of the vehicle for support. Burnley watched this with amusement. “I really did expect more from you. I wanted to see this feared Shepherd of the Damned that everyone was scared of, but no… I got the pathetic, broken man inside instead. Don’t get me wrong, I am amazed that you managed to control the power and reclaim what was left of you, but now that I see what you really are, I am kind of embarrassed.” Making his way over to Ben, who was now leaning against the side door, groaning in pain, Burnley grabbed handfuls of his hair and pulled his head up. “You don’t deserve to be the Shepherd of the Damned. Its power is completely wasted on you. You’re worthless… except for one small thing.” Leaning down, Burnley licked some of the blood away from Ben’s face. A shiver ran down his spine as he tasted the familiar chemicals of the Eden drug. He shuddered and twitched like a addict getting his first hit. 

“My blood.” Ben whispered. He could feel his legs start to buckle underneath him, and his hands clutched madly at the handle of the door, trying to get a grip to pull himself back up to his feet, but it was of no use. The sedative was taking effect quickly. He sank back down into the snow, defeated. “All this time, that’s what you’ve been after? That’s why you murdered Dustin? All for your goddam Eden drug?”

Nodding, Burnley let go of Benjamin and came to stand in front of him. “It does go a bit deeper than that, but essentially that’s it. Dustin was my insurance that I wouldn’t have to face the Shepherd of the Damned at his full power. I knew that his death would hurt you very deeply, which it did, giving me the opportunity to subdue you. There was no way you would recover fast enough to even be a problem, because you loved him so much. He’s the crack in your armor, Ben.” Burnley gestured to the discarded syringe lying empty in the snow. “I’ve given you a very powerful drug, it's a variation of the Eden drug which I have created myself years ago. It has given life, and taken life away from so many poor souls. In a few moments, you will be completely incapacitated. It’s quite a unique experience really, the drug causes conscious sedation, which means that you will be awake and fully cognitive, but your body won’t be able to respond in anyway to what is going on around it. I could have mixed a painkiller with it and let you sleep the whole thing off, but what fun would that be? I want you to experience the terror as I drag your body through the snow and ice, back into the base and throw it onto a gurney. You can watch as the life starts to pour out of your veins, flowing away from you and ending your miserable existence and into me. The father shall give life to the son. It’s a gift that I proudly give to you…It is Christmas, after all.”

Leaning his back against the vehicle, Ben clutched at his chest. His lungs seemed to be closing in, making it hard to breathe. Burnley’s words seem to be far away. “I am going to kill you for this Burnley.”

“No, no you’re not, because I am going to drain you of every single drop of blood that you have. The Eden drug may have released you from your in habitations and allowed the Shepherd to take over, but for me, it’s something else, something magnificent. I am going to escape this miserable, dying planet, leaving it… and you behind. So, don’t fight it Ben. Just close your eyes.”

The air around him felt heavy, and it was an effort to keep his head up. Benjamin knew that whatever drug Burnley had pumped into him was taking hold quickly. He had to keep fighting. Everyone else was dead; he was the only hope for Prox now. Fighting the rapidly growing numbness that was spreading through his arms and legs, Benjamin once again pulled himself halfway up, standing defiantly before his son. “I won’t let you do this. If you want my blood then you’re going to have to fight me for it, because as long as there is breath in these lungs I am going to stand right here, in your way. You may have taken the others, but this is where it ends.”

“I thought that I would be merciful, but I see that you’re going to make me do this the hard way.” Burnley said, shrugging casually. “Either way, it really doesn’t matter. All I need is your heart beating and pumping blood through your body to keep you alive long enough to take what I need.” In that moment, Burnley’s fingers curled into a fist and he swung it forward, shoving it right into Ben’s stomach. The force of the blow caused him to topple over and fall back down to the snow, landing face first in the frigid ice, clutching his midsection in pain. Burnley sprang forward and followed up by several swift kicks with his boot to Ben’s ribs, each one hitting harder than the last. Taking the full force of Burnley’s viscoius assault, Benjamin did not cry out, but instead lowered his head and kept his eyes focused on the beautiful snowflakes falling softly to the ground around him. Not satisfied that he was doing enough damage, Burnley continued to kick his father until eventually after repeated attempts, he felt something snap under the pressure of his foot; a rib or two perhaps, and then Benjamin completely dropped to the ground, landing face first with a sickening thump. Burnley wiped the melted snow and blood away from his eyes. “Are you finished now?” 

The fight to hold on to what was left of himself from the Shepherd of the damned, the heartache and loss of losing Dustin and now Burnley’s physical attack was far too much for Benjamin. He remained lying on his stomach, arms stretched out beside him, in a massive amount of pain and anguish. He could just barely make out Burnley saying something as he loomed over, but he really didn’t care. Ben always thought that there was some glimpse of good in his son, something that could be saved, but now he knew that he was sorely wrong. Burnley was evil, and there was nothing he could do about it. Burnley walked around Ben, his boots kicking some snow up that got into Ben’s eyes, making them water and sting. He blinked; there was really little else he could do now anyway, and tried his best to clear his blurred vision. As the distorted ground became clearer, Ben could make out a dark shape laying just a foot away from him. Partially covered in snow, Dustin’s body was cold and lifeless, just as Prox was. The plastic black rimmed glasses that he loved to wear so much were shattered, and were resting on the bridge of his nose, crooked over eyes that would never open again. Everything that Ben worked so hard to protect, his home, his friends, his family was now gone. He wanted to reach out, to feel Dustin’s cold, dead flesh to know that it was all real, but his arms wouldn’t respond. Burnley’s drug was far too powerful, and with Ben already in a weakened state, it was taking effect fast. Ben closed his eyes. Giving up wasn’t an option, he had to find a way to fight. If not for him, then for the others who had risked everything. Focusing on the wind, Ben felt his heart beat slowing down and let his mind take him to another place.

The sun was dipping far below the horizon on a warm summer night. The last rays of ember light were painting the sky above the ocean brilliant shades of orange and yellow. He could feel the light spray of the waves as they crashed up on the beach, and hear the sea gulls crying far off in the distance as they hunted for their evening meal. “I didn’t expect to see you here so soon.” Dustin said, shoving his hands in his pockets and slipping his bare feet into the sand.

Benjamin sighed softly and kept his eyes on the sunset. “Everything happened so fast. I was powerless to stop it.”

Dustin moved closer. “You? Powerless? I find that hard to believe. You are the smartest person that I have ever known.” He hesitated for a moment. “Burnley?” Ben nodded and Dustin frowned. “He has to be stopped. You can’t let him live, not this time Ben.” Reaching out, he took hold of his hands and stood in front of him. The two men faced each other on the empty beach, their bodies nothing more than black silhouettes against a beautiful canvas of color. “Prox is dying because of him…” Dustin’s fingers gently caressed the top of Ben’s hands. “You’re dying because of him…we all are. You can't let him do this anymore.”

“He’s my son.” Benjamin whispered.

“Your son was the innocent little boy that splashed in puddles and loved to sit on the couch and hear you sing… The man that he became… isn’t even human. He’s a monster that pretends to be your son. What Rhiannon did to him, was something even worse than even what the FEC had done. She trapped his soul for a year, constantly torturing it day and night, over and over again, until there was nothing left but a mere shadow of who he was. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool.” Dustin brought one of Ben’s hands up to his lips and kissed it. “Listen to me, you have to end his suffering Ben. No one else can do it. It has to be you.”

A soft look fell over Ben’s face. He reached up and ran his fingers through Dustin’s dark hair. “I know…I’ve always known. Twice before he fell at my feet, and I let him live, because I wasn’t strong enough mentally or physically to do it. Maybe even now, I don’t have the strength, but the Shepherd does. All I have to do is surrender myself over to it, completely and let the darkness in… no more fighting, no more holding on. I have to let it take me.”

A little of the color left Dustin’s cheeks. Lizzie’s final words made sense now; this is why she insisted that the Shepherd be in control of Ben in the end. Its power was needed to defeat Burnley. There was no other way around it, but winning would have a price, and it was to lose Ben, completely. He was too weak to fight it off, and in the end, he’d fade away just as Brock had done, ceasing to exist. “….and that’s it? No more? You’ll be gone forever?” Sadness and sorrow filled his heart, but he tried his best not to let it show. He couldn’t fight anymore. He knew what he had to do; he had to let Benjamin go. It was the only way. No more crying, no more begging and pleading. It was time to finally let go.

Stepping forward, Benjamin bent down and slipped his fingers underneath Dustin’s chin, cupping it in his hand and tilting his face upwards. He ran his fingers through the light scattering of his facial hair and then leaned down. Their bodies were so close, nearly becoming one in the warm summer air. “If it means the end of this, then I will gladly pay the price. Burnley is my son, my flesh and blood, made to suffer for the sins and pride of his father. We don’t belong here anyway; it’s time that we both go home.”

The light touch of Ben’s fingertips felt like both fire and ice on Dustin’s skin, burning and freezing at the same time. He stood there, waiting for Ben to speak again, to say the words that would seal both of their fates. “Dustin…I love you.”

Choking back his tears, Dustin found himself trembling in Ben’s arms. “Ben, just say it.”

Benjamin held Dustin so tightly, that he felt that every bone in his body would break. “The Shepherd has a hunger, which not even I can control. It’s voracious, devouring everything around it. It needs to be fed. It’s the price that must be paid.” He shook his head. “I can’t ask you…”Benjamin drew Dustin in close. As his strong arms held his slender form, his eyes searched Dustin’s for any sign of doubt, or fear. There was nothing there but complete love and trust. The sun had just set, and the waves were rolling in, crashing down around them. “If you do this, if you give up your soul, then we won’t ever be able to be together again. Just like Brock and Burnley. Not here, not in another life… never. It will be end the end for you.”

“You don’t have to ask me for anything, Ben. I’ll give you whatever you want, whatever you need… take it, take me. I am yours, now and forever.” It’s my turn, I have to sacrifice something, and so what others have lost will not be in vain. My heart and soul have always belonged to you anyway. Now is the time that you need it the most.” Dustin felt Ben’s arms tighten around him, his lips moved slightly, and he closed his eyes. “I love you Benjamin Burnley. Take my soul. Become the Shepherd of the Damned one last time.” He took a deep breath and felt the pressure of Ben’s lips against his. He could feel his warm breath on his skin. He let his arms drop down to Ben’s waist. Being so close to the man he loved felt wonderful. This is the place where he wanted to be, the very thing that he had fought so hard for. He took a deep breath. They stood there, looking at each other, saying nothing. But it was the kind of nothing that meant everything. In his eyes, there was no trace of what had happened earlier. Dustin could feel something inside him break. He didn’t want to say goodbye. “Ben…Do you know what it’s like losing you?” he whispered.

There was a long pause before he responded. “You're not losing me, Dustin.”

Dustin gave him a gentle smile. “Yes, I am. You said it yourself, after this we won't be together, even in death, our souls will be forever parted, so yes... in a way I am losing you, and it's a terrible feeling. It's like hearing every goodbye ever said to me, all at once.” Dustin closed his eyes and let Benjamin kiss him. It was such a tender and sweet kiss that broke Dustin’s heart completely. Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the waves of the ocean, completely engulfing them both in the gentle ripples. The last rays of sun faded from the night sky, as the brilliant ember colors gave way to soft hues of blues and purples. The tide came in, splashing against the sand and filling in footprints that were left behind. The two men were gone now, and only a light spattering of silver stars remained above the empty beach. Off in the distance, parents called for their children to come in for dinner, and dogs barked loudly, demanding one more toss of the Frisbee.

Burnley finished his cigarette. Blowing the smoke out into the cold air, he flicked the butt down to the ground where it landed right in front of Ben’s face. He didn’t flinch or move. “Well I guess since you’re not moving, that means it’s time to go.” Burnley made his way over to where his father was laying on the ground and shook his head, looking down at him “I should have made you walk back up to the base. Carrying you is going to be such a fucking pain now.” He nudged him with his boot, and when there was no response, he reached down to check to feel for a pulse. His fingers had just touched his skin when suddenly Ben’s arm shot out and grabbed Burnley’s injured wrist tightly. He let out a scream of agony and fell down onto the snow.

“We’re not going anywhere.” Ben said in a snarl. Sitting up, his fingers tightened harder around Burnley’s wrist and he squeezed, neatly breaking every single fractured bone with precise precision. The sound of the bones breaking off echoed loudly through the raging wind. Benjamin’s amber filled eyes met Burnley’s, flashing with an inner power that he had never seen before. “You wanted to see the true power of the Shepherd of the Damned, well now you are going to have your chance…It’s going to be the last thing that you ever see.” Benjamin released him and Burnley’s hand flopped down against his arm, useless. Frightened and confused, he scrambled back away from Benjamin, his boots slipping in the wet snow, clutching his wrist against his chest and staring wide eyed at his father.

Hunched over and sitting back on his legs, the darkness itself seemed to be drawn to Benjamin, surrounding him and embracing him. The wind and snow howled, stronger than ever before, and an occasional flash of lightning would jump from cloud to cloud overhead, illuminating the ominous storm clouds. Breathing deeply, Benjamin felt the darkness coming for it and welcomed it. He closed his eyes and let it drift around him, gliding over his skin like a soft, satin sheet. His heart pumped furiously, burning off the chemicals of the sedative that Burnley had given him, and swirling his veins with the remains of the Eden drug pushing though his body. There was suddenly a stabbing sharp pain in his back, which caused Ben to pitch forward and let out a loud cry of pain. The palms of his hands hit the cold snow, and he saw Burnley scurrying away, running back up towards the base. Feeling an intense pressure building up around his spine, Benjamin tried to stand, but only made it up to a kneeling position when the flesh on his back suddenly split open, and in a flurry of black and amber feathers, two large wings shot forth from his spine, ripping through his shirt. Straightening up, he made his way up to his feet, splattering blood from his lacerated skin onto the newly fallen snow. His large wings craned out behind him, shining in the dim light, lit with the same intense amber color as his eyes. Looking down, Ben saw Dustin’s body lay at his feet, completely covered in snow and ice now, nothing more than a empty husk that once held a beautiful soul. He could feel the power and rage building up inside of him, screaming at him to be released. Turning his face upwards to the sky, Benjamin said a silent prayer for the man that he once loved. It was the last merciful thing that he would ever do. Stretching his arms out, he flared his massive wings and let the Shepherd take over. Benjamin Burnley was gone. Only the Shepherd of the Damned remained.

Burnley ran as fast as he could, stumbling his way back up the slippery steps which led back into Dawn. Not looking back, he heard his father let out a blood curdling scream that shattered his ears and echoed madly around him. Hurrying as quickly as he could, Burnley’s footsteps faltered as his boots skidded on the icy concrete, pitching him off balance and nearly sending him crashing down to the ground. The wind howled in his ears as he scrambled up to the top of the winding staircase, not even bothering to look back. Nearing the doors, his eyes caught sight of the object that he going for, the gleaming silver broken sword jammed into the wall. His heart racing, he finally manage to reach the top step and lunged forward, grabbing hold of the hilt of the sword and giving it a firm yank. The steel made a loud pinging sound as it released from the concrete, sending bits of stone and rubble flying through the air as it slid out. Gripping the sword in his hand, Burnley whirled around, and suddenly was hit with a blinding pain to the side of his face. A burst of blood exploded from his nose, and he stumbled backwards, hitting the steel door and clutching at his face. Looking up, he saw Benjamin looming before him, wings outstretched and death in his eyes. Wiping at his nose with his sleeve, Burnley spit out some blood and glared at his father. “I fucking knew that you couldn’t face me man to man. You’re nothing more than a coward, Ben, hiding behind the Shepherd of the Damned.”

Benjamin lunged forward and grabbed Burnley by the front of his shirt. “You’ve got it all wrong, Burnley. Benjamin isn’t here anymore. He sacrificed his soul to me, and there’s nothing left of him. I am all that remains now, I am the darkness that will consume every living thing on Prox, starting with you.” Reaching down, the Shepherd placed his fingers on the side of Burnley’s body, just over his ribcage and slowly started to lower them down, gliding them over the thin material of his jacket with a gentle, almost seductive motion. Dipping his slender fingers into one of Burnley’s pockets, he withdrew a silver metallic bracelet. Burnley’s eyes widened. It was the time jump device that he had stolen from Lizzie’s dead body. The Shepherd’s eyes flashed with amusement as he dropped it down to the ground and then crushed it with his boot. There was no way for Burnley to leave Prox now.

“You son of a bitch.” He cursed, trying to free himself.

With one swift motion, the Shepherd threw Burnley back towards the steps, where he lost his footing and fell down hard onto the new fallen snow. Momentarily dazed, he realized that he was no longer holding onto the sword, he had dropped it a few feet away, and now his only weapon was lying useless between him and his adversary. One by one, he was losing the advantage that he had. He was no longer in control of the situation, and he didn’t like it. Sitting up, Burnley brushed the hair out of his eyes and glared at the Shepherd. “Listen to me…I don’t give a fuck who you think you are. You could be god himself I couldn’t care less, so feel free to brag all you want about the end of Prox.” Slowly he pulled himself to his feet and started to inch over to the sword, each step cautious and never taking his eyes off the Shepherd. He had to get control back, if he could just tip the tables in his favor again, he knew that he could figure a way out. He never really intended on coming face to face with the Shepherd of the Damned and was completely unprepared for it. For the first time in his life, Burnley was truly scared. He cleared his throat. “All I want is the Eden drug from you, and one way or another I am going to get it.”

“Your father was right to be disappointed in you, Burnley. You are nothing more than a hopeless addict. You could have been so much more, given a second chance at life, but you’re throwing it all away, for what? Crumbs and scraps of a drug that you think might make you as you were before? Let me share some knowledge with you before we bring this chapter to a close. You pride yourself on your cunning and ability to outsmart those who oppose you, citing the FEC for what they did to you, and the chemicals they forced into you…but have you ever considered that may not be entirely true?” The Shepherd took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them as he spoke. “Tell me something, am I making you uncomfortable, does my truth-telling make you start to question your own way of thinking? Does it feel somewhat familiar? There is a reason for that.”

 

The wind whipped around Burnley, chilling him to the bone. He started to feel weary and tired, his wounds now starting to wear him down. “No.” he whispered.

The Shepherd moved forward again. Burnley noticed that his steps did not leave footprints in the snow behind him. He could not look away from those enormous amber and black tinted wings that sprawled out from behind him. It was like a grim nightmare come to life. “Benjamin called me to him so long ago, when he was lost and broken, and accepted my offer, giving him the strength he needed, when he needed it the most. I’ve been with him through good times and bad, lingering in the shadows, hiding deep inside of him feeding off his fears. I was part of the disease and the cure as well. I kept him weakened, vulnerable and worn down to the point where he always needed me. Then when he begged for strength, I was more than happy to give it to him, but only giving him a mere ounce of what he needed to survive, luring him on, so that he always needed me. Then it came to be that he became a father, part of me passed through him and into his child.” The snow seemed to slow down, falling to the ground in soft, gentle waves. The wind completely stopped, and not a single sound was heard. “So Burnley, part of what you are is because of me, not the Eden drug. You’ve been deluding yourself for so long, it’s such a shame and quite embarrassing really. You were right about one thing though; I live and thrive on darkness. I need it to exist. When your soul was reborn into this world, an unholy and unnatural thing, it sent Prox into eternal night, and I grew in power because of it. I will consume Benjamin’s soul and the souls of every living thing on this planet, all because of you, my son.” Burnley cringed at the way that he said ‘son’ it felt wrong and was dripping with sarcasm. “Now it’s time that your miserable existence is ended. Killing you is the first step to sealing Benjamin’s fate as well gives me the immortality I so greatly desire. Now that you know the truth about yourself, it’s time that we end this.” Coming to a stop at the broken sword lying at his feet, the Shepherd kicked it, sending it clattering over the ground to Burnley. “Pick it up. Defend yourself if you wish. Fight until every last drop of your blood drips out all over these steps and stains them red, it won’t matter. You are going to die tonight, just like the others.”

Kneeling down, Burnley picked up his sword. It still had traces of Dustin’s blood splattered on the steel. It felt unusually heavy in his hand. He looked away from the Shepherd. The small gusts of wind moved the loose jacket around his slender frame. “When I was a kid, I looked up to you. I wanted to be you. You were the hard working rock star hero that everyone loved. You were so humble and kind…” Burnley’s fingers gripped the sword, tightening around it as he spoke. “But now I see that it was all just a show that you put on, a way to make people see things that you wanted them to see. You may have stood out there on that stage every night, acting like some God, surrounded by music and flames, but the truth is that is when the lights went down and everyone went home, you were nothing more than a man. A simple, sick, dying man who was denying his own fate every night you went out there. You booked tour after tour, hoping to keep the inevitable at bay, working your fingers to the bone, in hope that someone would hear your prayers at night, begging, pleading not to succumb to the disease that was killing you. The Shepherd of the Damned may have heard your cries and answered them, giving you exactly what you wanted, but someone else did too, and that was me. The Shepherd has no claim over my soul, it is and always has been a Burnley.”

The Shepherd flexed his wings, brushing off a layer of snow that had built up on them. It shimmered and glistened as it fell down around him, making him look majestic and ethereal. “Your words fall on deaf ears. The one whom you plead and speak to, Benjamin is gone, and they mean nothing to me. All I desire is your death. You are prolonging it by ranting on like this. Much like your own cries when Selene stole you away from your mother, they will go unheard and unanswered.”

Looking down at the blood splatter on his sword and then the flecks of it on his hands, Burnley spoke quietly. “I don’t need them to be heard.” He turned his gaze to the Shepherd and snapped his good wrist back, moving the sword into an offensive position. “They need to be felt.”

“Benjamin’s soul is gone… and so is Dustin’s. There is no one on this miserable planet left for you to play with Burnley, so come to me and face your fate. Let me rip you apart and devour your soul, before I take the others. It will be quick and painless… far better than what I had done to Brock. He suffered. Badly. Even now, when I close my eyes and listen, I can still hear his screams of agony as I devoured him, and erased him from existence. Do you realize that even if you manage to defeat me, you will never be with him again? I’ve made sure that your paths will never cross in this or any other life.”

Taking a deep breath, Burnley sprang forward, rushing toward the Shepherd. With the sword raised high he swung it in a sharp arc over his head as the momentum from his steps carried him closer to the man he wanted to kill. Anger and loathing seethed from Burnley; it coursed through his veins and swirled through him, giving him the strength that he needed for one final push. Inches away from one another, Burnley’s powerful swing brought the weapon down to the crook of the Shepherd’s shoulder. It was mere seconds away from biting into his flesh and drawing blood when he reached up with his bare hand and grabbed hold of the broken blade, stopping it in midair. Burnley’s eyes widened and the Shepherd smiled a toothy smile at him. Turning his other hand into a tight fist, he drove it right into Burnley’s midsection, ramming it into his stomach and shifting internal organs in one vicious punch. Staggering backwards, Burnley felt the agonizing pain of something inside of him rip and bleed, but he didn’t let it stop him. He rushed forward again, running at top speed with all of his might and collided with the much larger man, knocking him off balance on the slippery ground. Both men fell down into the snow and struggled together, throwing punch after punch at one another, the air heavy with the sound of bones cracking and flesh bruising. Out of breath, but not willing to give in, Burnley put up a grand fight against the Shepherd, but it wasn’t enough. Eventually he was overcome with exhaustion, and in the space of a heartbeat, the Shepherd’s fist collided with his jaw, sending him sprawling onto his back, dazed and unable to move. His boots crunching in the snow and ice, the Shepherd walked over to him and looked down at the broken man at his feet. “Without the Eden drug, you are nothing Burnley. You’ve polluted your body with it, poisoned your mind and sealed your own fate. Now that you see what you really are, I will give you a taste of the pain that you once loved so much. See and feel the agony that you have inflicted upon others, and die as you drown in your own blood.” Burnley looked up to see the Shepherd looming over him, his wings completely blocking out the night sky. All he could see were flashes of amber and black, and the terrible, terrible glow from his eyes. Then the true assault began. The Shepherd lifted his boot and brought it down to Burnley’s chest, stomping on him and knocking all the air out of his lungs. Burnley’s cries were muffled and silenced as he did it several times, until there was nothing more than a blood flecked foam seeping out from the corners of his mouth. Burnley managed to roll over onto his side, trying desperately to get away, to stop the pain, but the Shepherd was on him again, this time sending a flurry of kicks to his spine, causing him to curl up in a ball defensively. Still gripping onto the sword, Burnley held fast, refusing to roll over and die. He couldn’t get up and fight, but he wasn’t giving in, not yet. Something was going to happen, it had to.

Blocking out the painful blows, Burnley’s gaze unfocused and he turned his fading eyesight to the black iron gates at the bottom of the hill. He saw a figure standing there. He didn’t need to look closer to know who it was, he’d know that face anywhere. It was Brock. His heart sank. This was the place where Brock died. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Stretching his arm out, Burnley’s broken fingers moved out in the blood soaked snow. He was trying to reach out to Brock. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, feeling the icy cold hands of death start to take hold of him.

At the bottom of the steps, near the gates, the figure of Brock didn’t move. He simply smiled. This would be the last time the two men would ever see each other again. Burnley wanted to remember that smile for eternity, it is what gave him his soul. Closing his eyes, he heard Brock’s voice in his head. “Accept who you are.”

One single tear slipped down Burnley’s cheek, he knew that Brock wasn't really there. He was a desperate hallucination of a dying man. 

The Shepherd came around and stepped on Burnley’s outstretched arm. The already broken bones shifted and popped through the skin, exposing sharp white shards that dripped thick with blood. The Shepherd turned towards the gates, and Brock disappeared, his form carried away by a thousand flakes of shimmering snow. The Shepherd squatted down to face Burnley, shaking his head. “I told you. There is no salvation for you.” He reached out and brushed the soaking wet hair out of Burnley’s eyes. “I am sorry son, but it’s time for you to die now.”

“My father is Benjamin Burnley. I am not and never will be the son of the Shepherd of the Damned.” Rage filled Burnley. He pulled himself to his feet, shoving the Shepherd back in a unexpected show of strength. Adrenaline rushed through him and using the sword to support himself. His body was starting to weaken now, bruised and battered beyond belief. The cold wind had sapped away his remaining strength, and he could feel his exposed flesh starting to become numb and lifeless. The tips of his brown hair were laced with silver lines of frost which flowed down into his gray green eyes. Wiping away a spot of blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his broken hand, and ignoring the glaring pain from within, he glared at the Shepherd. “Everyone has to make sacrifices… and this is mine.” 

The snow stopped.  
The wind stopped.

Burnley ran forward, once again, the sword held high. He ran blindly, as the tears were filling his eyes now stinging them and making it difficult to see. He didn’t need to see where he was going; he could feel Brock guiding his hand. Across the courtyard, the Shepherd waited, anticipating the attack. Burnley came at him with all that he had, the broken sword tip poised and aimed right for the Shepherd. There was a flurry of black feathers and a flash of steel, followed by a loud crack of thunder.

It started to rain.

Burnley stared into the cold, dead eyes of the Shepherd. The rain poured down now, melting the snow and washing away the horrible red stains of blood. The corner of the Shepherd’s mouth twisted up into a smile, as he drove the sword he wrenched away from Burnley’s hand and shoved it right into the young man’s stomach. Burnley didn’t really feel the pain of the fatal blow, or the chilling cascade of rain as it fell down around him; all he could feel was a terrible guilt inside of him, knowing that he had failed. Desperately, he looked back to the gate, for any sign of Brock, but he wasn’t there. Burnley was alone again, with only the company of the angel of death as his companion. Leaning forward, the Shepherd kissed him on the cheek. His lips were like fire, and then he slowly drew the sword from Burnley’s body, letting him sink down to the now mud filled ground.

Pacing around him, the Shepherd watched and waited, anxious for Burnley’s last breath. Eager for it to be over. The rain had soaked into his shirt and pants now, making them cling to his slender form like robes. At that moment, he was truly a dark angel in every sense of the world.. “I saw heaven open, and behold there was a white horse. He who sat on it was called terrible and sinful. He judges and wages war. His eyes are the gemstone amber, and no one knows his true name but Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood and will consume the souls of the damned until the world is purged clean.” Pointing the tip of the broken sword at Burnley’s throat, the Shepherd stared him down. “You are a abomination and not meant to be in this world, Burnley. I will remove you from it.”

Clutching at his stomach, trying to keep his insides from spilling out onto the ground, Burnley choked back the blood rising in his throat. There was another loud crack of thunder. Prox was changing. “I know you’re still in there, father... I can feel your soul locked away inside of him… I want you to know that if we could go back… change the way things happened… I’d find a way to save you… Your only sin was wanting to protect and save the ones that you love….no one deserves to lose himself to the darkness. ” Looking up, he saw the sword in the Shepherd’s hand start to tremble. “Not even you.”

The Shepherd lowered the sword.

A wave of pain shot through Burnley’s body, and he started to cough violently. Rolling over onto his side to keep from choking, he lay on the wet ground, covered in mud and dirt when suddenly he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. The Shepherd came to kneel down next to his broken body, gently cradling it in his arms. At that moment, there was no hate or anger, just a moment of pure, sincere compassion. Burnley looked up at the Shepherd, confused.

Burnley’s face was filled with hope. “Ben?”

“Yes Burnley. It’s me.”

Burnley started to shake. He was going into shock. “How… did you? The Shepherd….”

Holding his son close, Benjamin struggled to keep him warm. He was turning cold so quickly. “I heard your words, and I came back. I fought him off and sent him away again...but at such a high cost.” He paused for a moment, and remembered Dustin’s last words. He had given up his soul so that Benjamin could kill Burnley. “It doesn’t matter… he’s gone now, and I am here with you. I still have some of his power, I can feel it inside of me.” Reaching out, he put a hand over Burnley’s gaping wound. “I am going to save you, just as you have done for me. Stay with me.”

Grabbing hold of Ben’s hand, Burnley moved it, pushing it away. “No. You can’t do this… you have to let me die. Look around you, Ben, see what’s going on, feel the change. Prox is coming back to life, and it’s all because I am dying. The Shepherd was right; I am the reason that the world was plunged into darkness. It’s my soul that was keeping it here, encased in a frozen night. When my heart stops, the sun will rise and you can start all over again. It has to be this way.”

Dropping the sword, Benjamin put a hand alongside of Burnley’s face, staining his pale skin red with a bright stain of blood. “No. I’ve lost everyone. I won’t lose you too. After everything that has happened, you are still my son. We are family and we have to stick together. I’ll forgive you for everything. I'll keep you here with me, just hold on.”

“Ben…father… stop it.” Burnley muttered. He looked around and saw large ominous storm clouds form overhead. The bright flashes of lightening jumped through the sky, splitting it open with a terrible force. “None of that matters now. Look at the sky. There is a terrible storm coming. It’s because I am still here.” Reaching down, Burnley pushed the sword towards his father. “You need to end this, quickly. Don’t let Prox be ripped apart because you want to save me. There are hundreds of thousands of people living here, truly innocent souls that still have their lives ahead of them who are in danger. The future is still theirs to have, if you do the right thing here. I am so tired of fighting the good and evil inside of me, father. If I remain with you, I am afraid that the darkness will take over again… you said it yourself, I am nothing more than a useless addict. What is the life of one person, compared to thousands of others?”

“Burnley… you have never been useless.” Benjamin whispered. “If I ever made you feel that way, I am sorry. I know I wasn’t home a lot, and that’s because I wanted to make sure that you and your mother would be taken care of after I had gone. It’s not because I didn’t love you, it’s because I did love you very much. I wish I had found you here on Prox sooner, then none of this would have happened. You are right, I was blinded by my love for Dustin, and I was unable to see the things that really mattered.”

Burnley’s eyes fluttered. He could feel the blood seeping out of him, mixing with the rainwater and pooling up underneath him. It was a slow, agonizing death. “Love is what matters, that’s why you are here with me now.” Lacing his fingers together with his fathers, Burnley looked up into his eyes. He could still see the swirling flecks of amber there. “Ben, please listen… after this… after I go… there’s still one fight left for you. It’s going to be the hardest one yet. Please promise me that you will fight with all your heart… and soul. You are such a good person, the world… this one, and the other one, needs you. Promise me that you will fight the darkness. This moment, is the Dark before the Dawn, your hardest hour. I wish I could help you through it, but I can’t. You are on your own now, but I will always be with you… I am proud to call you my father.”

The rain was coming down in sheets now, dampening the already soaked ground and dislodging huge chunks of dirt and earth that were supporting the base of Dawn. Far down below, the wind blew the black gates open and the iron doors clanged loudly back and forth. “I… can’t kill you Burnley. You're my son.” Benjamin shouted loudly. “I won’t do it. Please let me save you.”

Once again, Burnley pushed the sword closer to his father. “It HAS to be you. That’s the way that it’s supposed to be.” He reached up and clutched at Ben’s wet shirt. “You were the one that gave me life. You have to be the one that takes it from me. Father, please… I am in so much pain. My body is in agony, my heart is broken. I have become everything that is wrong with this world. I am begging you, give me the peace of death so that others may live. Don't let me suffer.”

Pulling Burnley’s fingers away from his shirt, Ben picked up the sword. He could hear whispers inside of his head saying things which he could not understand. The rain streamed down the broken blade as Benjamin placed it over Burnley’s heart. A crash of lightning shot down out of the clouds and hit the metal gate far below them. A shower of bright yellow sparks exploded from it illuminating the courtyard. Burnley closed his eyes. Benjamin threw the sword back down on the ground and thought back to happier times, when Burnley was still small. There was no darkness within him, no evil, only pure childlike innocence that all young ones have before time takes it away from them. He wanted to protect his son from everything, shelter him from the evils of the world and put him on the path to righteousness. He looked down to the young man cradled in his arms and started to weep. His tears splashed down, mixing with the raindrops and splashing on his son’s cheeks.

Slowly Burnley opened his eyes. “I’ve always loved the rain.” He saw the sword laying down on the ground next to him and glanced back at his father in confusion. Just as he was starting to say something, Benjamin suddenly grabbed hold of his son’s head with both hands and jerked it quickly to the side, neatly breaking his neck. He went limp and his eyes closed for the final time. The faint trace of a smile came over his lips. It instantly stopped raining and the clouds moved on. Consumed by grief, Benjamin leaned down onto Burnley’s body, sheltering it with his massive wings and rocking back and forth. Over the mountains far to the east, the sun started to rise, painting the sky in brilliant shades of red and orange.

“Human. They are all so pathetic and weak.” The Shepherd purred inside of Benjamin’s head. “I knew it was going to come to this Benjamin. I tried to help you. If you would have simply let me finish him off, as was our bargain, then you wouldn’t be sitting here feeling so damn guilty. Now look what has happened. You let Dustin hand over his soul so that you could have the power to kill Burnley and now you’re sitting here crying about it? What a waste. The stupidity of human emotions never fails to amuse me.”

“Go away.” Benjamin growled. “You got what you wanted now fuck off. I don’t need you anymore. Leave me alone.”

The Shepherd slithered and slipped its way through Benjamin’s brain like a snake coiling around his memories a hoard of gold. “Ben, you know that’s not possible. I’ve been with you for a very long time now; it’s not that easy to get rid of me. Don’t you remember, sitting in the bathtub, hating yourself, wishing you were dead because nothing in your life was going right? The razorblades were so bright and shiny, almost like precious jewels gleaming in your fingertips. No one understood you, no one loved you. It was you against the world, and the world was winning. Before you, I had only taken the souls of those upon death, but when I heard you calling out, begging for release, I just had to come. We are lovers, you and I, and I shall never leave you alone. You need me as I need you.”

Benjamin sat still, watching the sun rise. “I refuse to let you take any more souls, Shepherd. I am stronger than you, and I won’t let you hurt any of the people here on Prox. The darkness is gone, and you should go with it too.”

“The people of Prox are ordinary; I have no interest in them… I crave something more delightful, more delicious. I’ve had a taste of it several times, a mere sample, if you will, but I haven’t been able to fully consume that which I most truly desire. Every time I get close to it, something pushes me back away and slams the door… but no longer. This time, I am going to take what I want… and that is your soul Benjamin.”

“No.” Benjamin said as the sunlight spilled out over the mountain. It felt warm and comforting. He wanted to wrap himself in it and go to sleep for a very long time.

“Listen to me. You’re done here Benjamin. All your loved ones are dead. There’s no place left for you. Your son, your wife, your lover, your life, all gone…but I haven’t left. I am the one that has always remained with you, even when you’ve pushed me away and denied my existence. A part of me has always been inside. Close your eyes for a moment and feel the power inside of you, it can take away all the grief and heartache that you are feeling. This is the gift that I am offering you, a way to be free of all these trivial things and live how you were meant to be, as the Shepherd of the Damned. Let go of your life, surrender it to me, and let it all go. It will be painless, just like going to sleep.”

A terrible pain started to form in the front of Benjamin’s head. It started behind his eyes and moved to the front of his forehead, growing in intensity with each passing moment. Lowering his head, he pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to concentrate on the words that he was hearing. His chest felt tight and uncomfortable, and the world around him began to spin. “No.” He said quietly. “I don’t need you anymore.”

“Yes You do. Do you feel your body starting to ache, your breath coming in short gasps, the pain nagging inside of your head? That’s my power leaving you. It won’t last much longer, and when it goes, you will feel every single blow that hit your body, every broken bone and every bit agony all at once.” The Shepherd paused for a moment swishing around inside of Ben’s head like a ghost. When it started speaking again, its tone was quieter, even gentle sounding. “Benjamin. You are sick. Without me, the disease will return. You will die.”

Looking down to the body of his dead son in his arms, Benjamin remembered the words he had said to him about people making sacrifices. Even though Burnley did terrible things, in the end, he did what was right. He managed to beat down the demons at the door, and make his own path. The greedy, arrogant psychopath, ended up giving up his life, so that others may live. This simple gesture broke Benjamin’s heart. He had always wanted to teach his son the right thing to do, and thought he failed at it, but now here, at the end of things, Burnley made the right choice and redeemed himself. Now it was his turn. Gently placing his son’s body down onto the ground, Benjamin rose to his feet. This body ached and complained greatly, showing the first signs that he was losing the Shepherd’s power. Walking over to the edge of the steps, he could feel the temperature of the air around him rising. The large black steel gates hung open and partially off their frame, a grim reminder of storm which narrowly passed by. Prox was coming back to life minute by minute like some sort of miracle. Off in the far distance, possibly hundreds of miles away, there was the faint trace of black smoke rising into the sky to where the messenger base was smoldering. The Ashes of Eden. His eyes then went to the opposite direction, further than he could see, way beyond the mountains and vast forests to where the Shallow Bay was. “Home.” He whispered.

“Not for you. Thomas and Lizzie are gone. Tristan will inevitably take on the responsibility of leadership there, as the people will come to trust him as they did is father. They don’t want you there, Benjamin. You killed innocent men who were only trying to protect a mother and her child. Do you honestly think that they will welcome you back with open arms after what you have done? These are simple people, they cannot understand why you did what you did, all they can see is that you are a killer… a murderer. Even if they did accept you back, would you be the burden on poor Tristan’s shoulders that constantly held him down, preventing him from gaining the trust of the people… HIS people, Ben…not yours. No, there is no home there for you any longer. Your fight is over, just accept it. You have no place to go. Relinquish your soul to me, one last time and let me take away your pain.”

Ben was lost in thought, trying to ignore the blinding pain that rattled his brain inside of his skull. His eyes went down to the bottom of the path now, where Thomas’s vehicle was parked. The snow was melting off of it, dripping down to the ground and filling up puddles near where Dustin’s body was laying. “What happens to the souls that you take, Shepherd?” He asked, his eyes never leaving Dustin. “What becomes of them after you’ve consumed them?”

There was a long moment of silence before he answered. “They cease to exist.”

Turning his hands over, Ben examined the stains which covered them, not completely sure whose blood it was. “What does that mean?” A gentle wind started to pick up now, fluttering the pale feathers of Ben’s wings.

“No trace of them is left behind. Everything that they were simply vanishes and dissolves into the ether. No happy ending, no heaven or hell, nothing. Over time, even the remnants of who they were start to fade from those left behind, taking with them the feelings, emotions and even the memories of the most gentle touch from their hand... until nothing more remains. They are forgotten. They cease to exist.”

“You’re asking me to willingly give you my soul so this can happen to me?” Benjamin muttered.

“Yes… and thus I can give you the rest that you so deserve. If you refuse me, I will make your life, or what is left of it a living hell. I am the only thing keeping you alive right now. Look around you Benjamin. This is how it is meant to end for you. Let go and finally become the Shepherd of the Damned once and for all.”

Benjamin closed his eyes. “It’s my turn now.” He took a moment to enjoy the soft, gentle breeze as it blew through the courtyard, warm and comforting on his skin. The sun rose high into the sky now, surrounded by white, puffy clouds. He thought about Selene, Lizzie and Thomas, and their children, his band members, Keith, Shaun, and Aaron, and finally he turned his thoughts to Dustin, lying dead at the bottom of the steps. Sorrow filled him, but he did not cry. He was too tired to shed anymore tears. Everyone had given a part of themselves, made the ultimate sacrifice for Prox and the people on it to be saved, and finally it was happening. For those left behind, Tristan, Scott and Travis, the future was uncertain, but at least they had the opportunity now to choose their own path in life. Prox didn’t need a hero or a savior anymore, his time was done. Taking a deep breath, Benjamin whispered. “I tried to face the fight within...But it's over….I'm ready to surrender…”

“I will live on through you, Benjamin Burnley, consuming the souls of the Damned for eternity. Your sacrifice will give you the peace you so greatly deserve. Now, close your eyes and feel my power flow through you. Breathe the darkness in let it take you. Don’t fight it, this is what you want.”

The pain in Ben’s head stopped, disappearing as quickly as it came. The ache in his bones retreated, taking with it the tightness in his chest. Every wound on his body healed, and suddenly he was re energized and filled with the familiar intoxicating feeling of power and strength. A chill ran down his spine, knowing that this power came from the souls of those that the Shepherd had devoured. Benjamin closed his eyes and concentrated, focusing on all the pain and agony that they had suffered. “Shepherd... You’ve taken so many innocent souls… now it’s time for someone to take yours.” The darkness inside of him expanded, pushing into his head and clouding his mind. His body was starting to go cold and numb now, as the Shepherd fought to take him over. Letting out a loud cry of rage, Benjamin stood up straight, locking his back and screaming into the heavens. The darkness pushed back, sending a wave of pain through his entire body. Ignoring the agony, he bent down and picked up Burnley’s broken sword from where it lay in a puddle. Full of mud and dirt, he quickly flicked it off and clutched it tightly in his hand. “There’s only one way to end this.”

“Don’t be foolish Benjamin.” The Shepherd growled. “Killing yourself won’t do anything. I exist inside of you. I can bring you right back to life. My power is what is keeping you alive.”

“It’s not my life that I am ending, it’s yours, and I know exactly how to do it.” Stretching out his massive black and amber wings, Benjamin reached behind him and grabbed one of them, his fingers grasping at the soft plumage. The darkness pushed into his chest, swirling around his heart. Bringing the sword up, he took a deep breath and slashed downward, feeling the hollow bones cracking as they made contact with the sharp blade. Blood instantly began to stream down his back as Ben made a second slash, hacking at the wing. This time, it neatly glided through the muscle and bone, severing it in one quick motion. Tossing the useless mass of feathers aside, he struggled to keep a grip, the blood soaked hilt of the sword with his shaking hand. It was becoming hard to breathe now, each beat of his heart brought about another wave of pain that he had to fight through. Inside his head, the Shepherd fell silent, but the darkness still remained. He couldn’t give in now. Weakened by the blood loss, Benjamin struggled to take hold of the one last remaining wing. He noticed how utterly beautiful the black feathers looked in the first rays of morning light. They shimmered and gleamed with a inner radiance all their own. Mesmerizing and enchanting, he felt as though he could stand there and gaze at them forever. Lulled into a sense of comfort, he started to feel weary and incredibly tired. Closing his eyes, just for a few moments might give him the small break that he needed. High overhead, a large black crow flew by and perched on the top of the broken iron gate, calling out loudly and breaking the silence. Quickly snapping back into reality, Benjamin arched his back and started to hack at the remaining wing. Losing strength, he had to bring the sword down upon it several times, forcing it through muscle and tissue until finally only a thin amount of bone held it in place. Screaming in agony, he dropped the sword and grabbed the wing with his bare hands. The feathers were wet and slick with blood now. The Shepherd fought back, riddling Benjamin’s body with pain from every direction. Pushing through his own suffering, Ben let out a final scream and yanked the feathered mass from his back, snapping the bone that had fused with his spine and thus severing his ties with the Shepherd of the Damned. As soon as the wing came free, ripped off his back by his own hand, the darkness inside of him left, and he stood for a moment, drenched in blood, gasping for breath. He closed his eyes, feeling truly free for the first time in years. Dropping down to his knees, he landed in a puddle and slumped forward. Beneath him, he could see the drips of his blood mixing with the stagnant rain water and starting to fill the puddle. He was dying. Sitting back on his feet, he let the sunlight wash over him. The mangled bone and sliced flesh on his back throbbed madly. There was one more thing he had to do. He looked up to the crow that was still perched on the gate. It ruffled the feathers of its wings and looked down at Ben expectantly. “Give me a sign.” The bird took to flight gliding on the wind currents and over to where Ben was kneeling, almost as if it was summoned. Circling overheard, it let out a few raucous cries and then swooped down, dropping something onto the ground in front of him, and then taking off, disappearing into the sky. Reaching forward, Benjamin scooped up a handful of dirt and mud, carefully brushing it off, and stared at the gleaming bit of polished metal in the palm of his hand. He wanted to cry, but he found that no tears would come anymore. Choking back his emotions, he found that he was holding a ring, a wedding ring that was forged by melting down his own ring and mixing it with steel salvaged from Eden. It was Thomas’s ring, the one that he had placed on Lizzie’s finger the day that they were married. It was more than a trinket, it was a sign of a new Prox, one without the FEC or war. A place where they could call home. 

Slipping the ring onto his finger, Benjamin staggered to his feet and with great effort, made his way down the winding stairs, coming to the place where Dustin’s body was. Slowly, he lay down face to face next to him, in the dirt and wrapped placed an arm over his shoulder. “I’ll bring the broken back to life, I’ll make it through. Never again, time will not take the life from me.” Leaning forward, he bought his warm lips to Dustin’s cold ones and kissed him. The kiss lasted for several moments, and then finally Ben released him and rested his forehead against Dustin’s. The remnants of the Shepherd of The Damned’s power flowed through him, surrounding him in an intensely brilliant white light. He took every bit of the fading power into him, it was warm and comforting. Fully embracing it, he let it flow through him and take over his body, whispering softly. “Come back to the end...The Shepherd of the Damned.” Through blurred vision, he saw the shape of a man clad in black standing near him, and felt a very ominous presence surround him.

“Show me.” The man whispered, bending down. His hand reached out and touched Benjamin's forehead and he closed his eyes for the last time. The darkness moved in, covering him with it's soothing, inky blackness and Benjamin Burnley's heart stopped beating.

EPILOGUE

The woman sat in front of the monitor to her computer, staring at it intensely. Her desk was cluttered with blueprints and sketches of various electronic devices which flowed out covering every available surface. A cup of tea sat cooling on one corner, long since forgotten and a bottle of headache pills on another. Running her hands through the dark curls of her black hair, she let out a quiet sigh of discontent and sat back in her chair, glaring at the screen. An apple suddenly appeared before her, placed there by a fresh faced middle aged man who was smiling down at her, her husband. “Are you ready for a break yet?” Tristan Bell asked.

Picking up the apple, Selene took a bite of it. The cool, crisp taste was quite refreshing. “I can’t really walk away from this yet, Tristan. Why don’t you go on without me and I’ll catch up in a few moments? I need to send out an email and I will be right with you.”

Tristan pushed some of her papers out of the way and sat down casually on the corner of her desk. “What’s holding you up?”

Looking over the blueprints on her desk, Selene frowned. “They want a decision. I’ve been putting it off and pushing it back as long as I can but I am afraid that they are insisting I give them a answer now.” She took another bite of the apple. She always loved the apples that came from the orchards behind their house. Tristan took great care of those trees and saw to it that there was always a massive harvest every year. Often forgetting or neglecting her lunch, with her mind on other things, he would put an extra apple in his bag for her, or slip one in her backpack, just to make sure she had something to eat during the day. “I don’t know, Tristan…. Something just doesn’t feel right with this. I mean the money they are offering us is really good, we could probably use it to fix up the house and all, but there’s just something nagging at me about it. I don’t feel comfortable handing over my work with the visors to a less than reputable company… if all this information fell into the wrong hands, it could be dangerous.”

“You know that you’re usually right when you get odd feelings about things, love. If it is really bothering you this much, I say that you send them an email thanking them for their time, but telling them no thank you. Easy as that.” Tristan smiled at her. “The money would be nice to have, but we don’t need it.”

Selene frowned. “Tristan, this is our life’s work here. Not just mine, but yours too. If we abandon this project, we might never get funding for it again, and they won’t ever be built. These visors have the power to help people if used correctly. Imagine all the mental illness and diseases that can be cured with this knowledge. Not sharing it would be a crime. The Free Energy Corporation may be a new company, but they’ve got lots of money to make this happen, and they are very willing to work with us. I mean the bonus is amazing and they are offering us a free place to stay in their facility while we get it done.”

“Who are you trying to convince, you or me?” Tristan wheeled a chair over and rolled up beside her. He poked at some of the papers on her desk. “All of this work, all of your research and development is important, I do agree with that Selene, but to me there is something even more important, and that’s you. We might not have the best house, or money saved up in the bank, but we’re doing okay. We have clothes on our back and food in our mouths. The only thing that I really need is you, and our son. I saw all the emails from the FEC… what they are doing to you is trying to bully you into giving them our research. To me, the way a company treats those who work for it speaks volumes.” He reached out and touched her hand. “You can decide whatever you want, and I will go along with it, but I want you to be happy, and not come to regret some decision later. I love you, so please don’t stress out too much about this.” Giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, he rolled his chair away, whirled it around in a circle and then sprang to his feet. “I am going outside for some fresh air, it’s really brisk and cold out there, and if I am not mistaken it will probably start snowing by the end of the day. I’ll see you in a few, okay?”

In a flurry of his white lab coat, Tristan left, leaving Selene alone, staring at her screen again. She took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes, leaning back. Glancing out the window, she caught sight of her husband sitting under a large oak tree, watching the dead leaves slowly float down to the ground. He was the only one that she knew who could get excited by cold weather and snow. She smiled, her heart warmed by his simple goodness. He was one of the most brilliant minds that she had ever known, but unlike his stuffy co-workers, Tristan retained a childlike innocence and a general good hearted nature which allowed him to see things differently than most, never taking himself, or others too seriously. When she was feeling down, or suffering from one of her severe headaches, he would do everything in his power to cheer her up and make her forget about things for a short time. Material things meant nothing to him; his world revolved around family and friends, and she was lucky to have him. Bringing her attention back to the screen for a moment, Selene placed her hands on the keyboard, knowing that the next words that she typed could possibly determine the fate of their family. It was all in her hands now. Lightly touching the keys, she hesitated for a moment and then started to type. The words flowed fast from her fingertips and within seconds she was done. Moving the mouse, the cursor hovered over the ‘send’ button. She looked down to the half-eaten apple sitting on the desk next to her and then once again out the window. The decision was made. With a swift click, she sent the email and then stood up, pushing the chair away from the desk. Gathering up her papers, she shoved them into her back pack and then pulled out the flash drive from the computer as well, safely tucking it away in a inner pocket. Grabbing her apple, she took a bite of the juicy, red fruit and smiled, turning away from her cubicle. The last email that she sent flashed on the screen as she walked away and joined her husband outside.

To whom it may Concern:   
Thank you for your interest in the visor project that my husband and I have been diligently working on for the last few years. This letter is to inform you that, due to a conflict of morals, we will not be able to accept your offer. It has nothing to do with the large amount of funding or cash advance that you have offered us; we simply have had a change of heart regarding the program in its entirety. No one should have direct control over another person’s mind, for medical or any other reasons, and this is why we have chosen to abandon our work, and seek out other, more meaningful employment. As of this writing, all research and notes pertaining to the Ocular visor devices will be deleted and destroyed. Please refrain from contacting my husband and I, as we rightfully ask that you respect our privacy. If I find that we are further hounded by your organization, I will disclose some material which I have found on your servers regarding unethical medical treatments of terminal patients to the public. The authorities will be notified, and I am quite sure that action will be taken against you to bring your entire company down. That being said, I thank you for your time.  
Sincerely, Selene Bell.  
At the cubicle that Selene had just walked away from, a man clothed in darkness and shadows suddenly appeared. He looked from the illuminated screen to the window just in time to see the woman run into her husband’s arms joyfully. 

Ron looked down at his cellphone, shaking his head. “I am telling you, we’re not going to get a cab at this hour.” He whined, clutching the plastic bag filled with their take-out food tightly in his hand. “And it’s going to start raining soon, I don’t understand why we had to go out and pick this stuff up. It would have been easier just getting delivery.”

Standing on the edge of the curb, Adam waved at the passing taxi’s furiously as they all drove by, seemingly oblivious to him. “I wanted to get you out of the house for a while, you’ve been cooped up in there doing absolutely nothing. It’s good to get out and get some fresh air every now and then, so stop complaining.”

A light spatter of rain started to fall from the sky, and Ron joined Adam at the curb, slipping his hand into his and leaning against him. He was warm and soft. “I am just looking for work for us. There’s got to be a band looking for new members somewhere out there. I refuse to take any boring, mundane job and sacrifice my own sanity by wearing a dress shirt and tie every fucking day.”

Adam smiled. “So you want to be a rock star? Is that your long-term plan?”

Ron shrugged. “If I can get paid for playing music, then yeah sure, I’ll be a rock star.” He gave Adam’s hand a light tug. “As long as I get to do it with you.” There was a loud crack of thunder overhead and suddenly the skies opened up. Ron gave Adam a annoyed look and frowned.

“Guess we better start walking.” Adam said, enjoying Ron’s obvious discomfort.

The rain now pouring down in sheets, Ron glared at Adam. “Ya think? God I hate rain. Its winter, why can’t this be snow goddamn it!” Together, the two men hurried down the street, dodging puddles, slowly making their way back to their apartment. It was nearly Christmas, and the rain was cold and unforgiving as it lashed against them, soaking into their clothing, making the walk home even longer and less enjoyable. Adam led the way, occasionally stopping to turn around and see that Ron was still behind him. He had fallen silent along the way, and was clearly not in a good mood, having been removed from the comfort zone of their shared apartment. Having been best friends for years, it seemed only natural that they ended up together, although neither of the men would admit that he was the first one to break down and make a move on the other. They had a mutual love for music which brought them together, both physically and emotionally.

By the time they had reached the apartment, the rain had tapered off and the temperature outside dropped dramatically, and both men were shivering, chilled to the bone. Adam stopped at the front vestibule to pick up their mail, rifling through it and noticed Ron was limping. Quickly shoving the envelopes in his backpack, he went over to offer him a hand, and then stopped. He knew that Ron would just get cranky if he started fussing over him. He had been complaining about this strange, unexpected pain in his leg that came out of nowhere. It was always the worst on rainy days. He had seen several doctors about it, but no one quite knew why it caused him so much trouble. This was the reason why he chose to remain home, and browse the newspaper and search internet for work. It was easier for him this way. Adam gestured for him to go first, and they made their way up the winding steps, past all the discarded trash left by other occupants to their loft. Upon reaching the door, Ron dipped his hand into his pockets, first the front ones and then the back ones, with a frantic look on his face. “Ah shit. I left my keys inside.”

Adam stepped forward. “I got it.” Fumbling with the keys, he dropped them onto the floor and looked at Ron, slightly awkward.

“Clumsy much?” Ron said laughing.

Not saying a word, Adam recovered the keys and quickly opened the door. He took a step backwards so that Ron could enter first. Ron waited for a moment and then gave him a confused look, shuffling him off to the side and entering the room. As he entered, his hand went to the light switch but then stopped. His eyes were drawn to the bright myriad of flashing lights in the center of the room which adorned a enormous Christmas tree. Below it was a perfectly wrapped box, with a obnoxiously large gift tag which had his name written on it, scrawled out in flowing letters. All around the room in various locations were white candles of all shapes and sizes, flickering with the breeze blowing in from the open door. Ron’s jaw dropped to the floor, and he felt Adam slip in behind him. “What the fuck? How…why…?” His mouth remained open as he looked around the room, completely awestruck.

Putting his hands on Ron’s waist, Adam leaned in. The heat from their damp bodies instantly warmed him. “Because it’s Christmas, and I know that we don’t have much, and I can’t spoil you every other day, but today, this one day, I can.”

“This is too much, we can’t afford….”

Adam quickly cut him off. “Not today. Don’t start with that. We will figure things out, we always do, so don’t worry about it. I won’t have any negative thoughts today. This day is for celebrating, just the two of us, let’s not ruin it.” Wrapping his arms around him from behind, Adam whispered in his ear. “Besides I have this feeling that something good is going to come our way. Something fantastic.” Ron was about to protest again, when Adam took his hand and gave him a quick yank, leading him over to the tree. Reaching down, he took the bag of food away from him, sitting it on a nearby table, and then removed the backpack he was wearing, tossing it aside as well. The brilliant lights from the tree flickered and reflected in his joyful eyes. He picked up the present and proudly offered it to Ron. “Everyone deserves to have a little something under the tree with their name on it.”

Ron’s blue eyes set on Adam, staring at him with intense love and affection. “I already have a present under the tree...it’s you.”

Shocked by his uncharacteristic show of emotion, Adam paused to wipe a tear of happiness away from his cheek. He had been with Ron for so long now, accustom to his off the cuff crude humor and attitude that he was completely taken away by the words that he was now hearing. The gift box in his hands felt very heavy now, and he was anxious for it to be opened. “Here.” He said, thrusting it forward. “Open this before you get all sentimental and I lose you.” He chuckled.

Taking the present from him, Ron scowled. “I don’t think that you will ever lose me. You’re stuck with me.” Holding the big box tightly, he shook it. “Hmm. It doesn’t sound like orange tic-tacs.”

Getting impatient, Adam tapped his foot. “It’s not. Come on and open it already, you’re killing me here.”  
Ron made a funny face at him. “Fine, jeez don’t be so pushy.” Rolling his eyes, he slid his fingers along the lines of colorful paper that was wrapped around the box, just enough to get a peek at what was inside. His eyes caught sight of the writing on the package. “Holy shit! Adam, you didn’t really do this, did you?”

Adam nodded. “Yes.”

Scurrying away from him, Ron took the box over to the couch, and finished ripping the paper off of it. Then as quickly as he could, he tore into the thick cardboard box, tossing packing paper and bubble wrap aside, until there sitting on the couch was a brand new bass guitar. He took a step back, admiring it in the dim candlelight.

“I know that you’ve had your eye on that one in the music shop for some time now. I had to get it for you.” Adam said softly. “And don’t start on about how much it cost, or anything like that. I told you that I would take care of it so I….”

Grabbing him by the shoulders, Ron took hold of Adam and kissed him. It was a overwhelming, all-consuming kiss filled to the rim with intense love. Still dripping wet from the rain outside, Ron could no longer feel the dampness on his skin, all he could feel was the warmth and honesty of Adam’s lips touching his. They remained there, in the loving embrace for some time, before Ron finally let him go, and glanced down at the guitar on the couch again, not quite really believing that such a beautiful piece of equipment was his. “No one has ever done anything like this for me before.”

Adam shrugged and moved some of the discarded paper out of the way. “It’s nothing, I am sure that you will put it to good use. Call it an investment in our future.”

‘Our future’. Ron liked the way that it sounded. “That’s not what I meant. I mean, all of this, the tree, the candles… it’s like a dream or something. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Adam.”

“Now you’re being the sentimental one, it truly is a Christmas miracle.” Adam joked, nudging Ron slightly in the arm and laughing. After the moment of humor passed, Adam looked at him seriously. “I want to be the first one to hear the music that you play from that guitar. No one else. Will you please play something for me?”

Ron put his hands in his pockets, searching for a pick he usually carried one. Once again, they turned out empty. He instantly felt embarrassed, it was a terrible time not to have one. “Ugh yeah, if I had a pick.” He glanced around to the right and left quickly. “There’s got to be one laying around here somewhere.”

Adam’s voice dropped a bit. “Here, I have some.” Reaching over, he unzipped his backpack and pulled out a small box. “I had them custom printed for you with your name on them. This way it might deter you from losing them like the others.” He handed the box over.

Staring at the tiny box of picks so nicely wrapped up, Ron was at a loss for words. Today was just supposed to be a ordinary day where he woke up, had breakfast, drank some beer, browsed the job listings and then watched a movie and ate dinner. He never thought that he would be standing here, being spoiled rotten by the man that he loved. Tugging at the white silk ribbon that held the box shut, he fussed with the knot, trying to get it undone, cursing a bit until it finally fell away. Gently lifting the lid off, he eyes grew wide and his hand began to tremble. He was not looking at custom printed guitar picks.

Adam grabbed one of Ron’s hands. “Ron, when I met you, we were both completely different people, going down different paths in life. We both suffered our own trials of heartbreak and loss, but the first time I heard you play, you turned all of that into something beautiful. You turned it into something that people connect to. And that's what good music does. It speaks to you. It changes you and makes you a better person. I've found that no matter what life throws at me, music softens the blow. I want to have that music, that magic around me all the time.”

Ron tore his eyes off of the box to look at Adam. He felt all the color fading from his face. “Adam, what exactly are you saying?”

Plucking the box from Ron’s hand, Adam took out the cobalt blue band from it’s cotton cushion inside. Slowly, he lowered himself down to one knee in front of him and held out the ring with slightly trembling fingers. “I am saying that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want you to marry me.”  
Ron started laughing hysterically. It was loud and obnoxious, drowning out the sound of the light rain pattering against the window. “Are you freaking kidding me with this right now? We can’t get married! Is this a joke or something? Did someone put you up to this?” Then he looked down to see the hurt look on Adam’s face and suddenly felt horrified. He was being completely serious. He withdrew the ring and lowered his head.

“I’m sorry.” Adam whispered. “I thought we were in the same place. I guess I was wrong. Forget it.” Tossing the ring aside, it left his fingers and bounced onto the couch. Disgusted and embarrassed, Adam started to stand back up, when Ron stepped forward; putting his hands on his shoulders and pushing him back down. Adam looked at him, confused.

Slowly moving to kneel down on the floor with him, Ron took hold of both of his hands and gripped them tightly. “Hey, wait. You caught me off guard, that’s all. You know me, I am always the clown, the joker, never taking things seriously. I didn’t mean to laugh at you like that, fuck that’ such a rude thing to do and I am so sorry. Call it a defense mechanism.” He lightly ran his fingers over Adam’s knuckles as he spoke. “It’s just that all my life, I’ve never had a really serious, stable relationship. I’ve been with a lot of people, but none of them I was willing to fully commit to. Maybe it’s because I don’t consider myself stable enough to having a meaningful relationship, or maybe I am not mentally ready for one, but whatever it is, it’s caused me to push people away. When I am with you, it’s not like that, I want to be close to you, and I want to be with you… but hearing you say those words made me feel like this giant rock was thrown at me, and I instinctively had to dodge to get out of the way or be hit.”

Swallowing back his emotions, Adam looked into Ron’s beautiful blue eyes. He could see the confusion and regret there. Ron didn’t mean to hurt him, and he couldn’t hate him for the outburst, no matter how distasteful it was. “Is that what love feels like to you, it makes you think of pain?”

“No, not really. It’s just kind of hard to explain.” Ron mumbled.

Adam leaned forward, placing his hand on Ron’s chest for a moment. “Then don’t try to explain it…” With great care, he started to unbutton the front of his wet shirt, peeling the layers of damp cloth away from his warm skin. “…just feel it…” His fingers tugged at the shirt until it fell away, discarded onto the floor. Bringing his lips to Ron’s neck, he kissed a light line of gentle kisses there, moving down onto his collarbone, and across the front of his chest. Wrapping his arms around him, he stretched his fingers out, moving them up and down his spine with a feather-like touch. Adam whispered to him, “If you listen closely, you can hear the faint beat of your heart inside of your chest. It beats, thumping in time with every single breath that you take. Each touch, each embrace or gentle touch makes it beat faster, stronger. When you’re with someone that you truly love, it responds with a rhythm that is so intense that it can totally overwhelm and consume you.” Adam placed his cheek next to Ron’s and he closed his eyes. “When I am drumming, I feel this… when I am with you, I feel this… let yourself go and you will feel it too. Don’t be afraid of it.”

Feeling Adam’s facial hair brushing against his face sent a series of chills run down Ron’s spine. He leaned back slightly, guiding Adam’s large body on top of his. There was something about the warmth of his skin and the sharp scent of his cologne that was incredibly intoxicating. He wanted to drown himself in that scent and forget about everything else. Reaching down, he grabbed hold of the hem of Adam’s loose fitting shirt and slipped his hands underneath, letting his fingers swirl through the soft layer of hair on his chest and make their way up. “I am not afraid.” Ron said, his voice trembling slightly. “And I never will be, as long as you are with me, Adam. I will never be afraid of anything.” As he spoke, his fingertips touched the cool steel of Adam’s nipple rings, and he ran his nails along the rim of the metal. Shifting his hands underneath the shirt, he glided them down the sides of Adam’s body, gently pulling him closer. “I will NEVER be afraid of loving you.” Sitting up slightly, grabbed hold of the sides of his face and drew him in, kissing him ferociously, devouring his lips in a intense wave of erotic passion. As their wet bodies pressed together, Adam leaned down, guiding Ron to the floor. The soft, twinkling lights from the tree overhead flashed in their eyes, reflecting only love and affection for one another. Laying on the soft carpet, Adam curled up next to Ron and wrapped his body around him. His rough hands, calloused from holding the drumsticks moved over his chest, and then to his sides, coming to a rest at Ron’s hips. The heat from the candles was intensified by the heat from their bodies moving together, and small beads of sweat began to build up on their flesh. Lifting one of his legs over Adam’s back, Ron’s eyes flashed with a invitation of desire, and he pushed him closer still so he could feel the hard stiffness between his legs. Pausing to pull off his own shirt, Adam ran his hands down the smooth slope of Ron’s chest, feeling the firm muscle underneath the skin and the rhythmic beating of his heart, beating faster with each passing moment. Ron arched his back, reeling from each touch desperately wanting more. Grabbing one of Adam’s hands, he pulled it away from him and brought it to his lips. Looking directly into his eyes, he parted his lips and took each and every one of the calloused fingers into his mouth, swirling his tongue around and sucking on it. Adam leaned down to kiss the side of Ron’s neck, letting him feel the intense pressure of his lips pressing down on the sensitive flesh of his throat. Small moans of delight slipped from Ron’s mouth, as he took hold of Adam’s hand and guided it down to the front of his pants.

Adam moved up slightly to kiss Ron’s sharp jawline. “Are you sure?” He asked quietly.

“Yes.” Ron replied without hesitation. “I want this; I want you… more than anything, right now.” Giving Adam a gentle smile, Ron sat up slightly and pushed him away for a moment. Stretching his arm out, he let his fingers search the soft folds of the couch cushion until they found the ring that had been tossed away. The dark blue cobalt color flashed brightly as he slipped it onto his finger. “Adam, I will spend the rest of my life with you.” Pulling him back down, the two men embraced each other, their bodies and souls entwined just as the rain outside turned to snow. Back up on the table, Adam’s unzipped backpack fell down to the couch and the contents spilled out onto the cushions. Cd’s, drumsticks, magazines all spread out in unorganized mess across the furniture. One single envelope remained on top. It was addressed to both Ron and Adam, written in formal, almost methodical block letters. The return address was listed as: The Starset Society.

Outside the door to their apartment, the dark man appeared again. He spent one moment standing there and then turned slowly, walking away. 

Scott grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. As he shut the door, he stopped and smiled, looking at all the artwork that was taped to the door with pride. Ember was growing up fast, and her talent was growing with her. What once was stick figures of cats and dogs were now beautiful, intricately detailed sketches of fantastic monsters, dragons and unicorns. She absolutely loved the strange and unusual, and Scott was more than happy to feed her imagination every chance that he got. Creativity seemed to run in the family, and he didn’t want to stifle it, there were too many people in the world that would love to do that. Rounding the corner, he made his way back to the living room, where he had removed all the furniture except for one single loveseat, just enough for Ember and himself, and replaced it all with recording gear. The split with Stephanie was mutual, and they when they separated, they left on good terms. She knew that Scott’s true love was his music, and even though she didn’t really understand his passion, she decided it was best to give him the space that he needed. They shared joint custody with Ember, and frequently took her places together.

Sitting down in front of his computer, Scott grabbed his guitar and strummed a few chords on it. Right on cue, Ember jumped up from behind, her long ponytail swinging in the air behind her and put her hands over Scott’s eyes. “Guess who?”

“Oh hmm who could it be?” Scott chimed. “Let me guess, Beyonce? Lady Gaga? No no… I know who it is! It’s none other than the fantastic EMBER!” Reaching around behind him, he grabbed the small girl and pulled her into his lap, as she giggled and laughed hysterically.

“Daddy, you’re supposed to keep guessing names! That’s what makes the game fun.” She frowned.

Moving the guitar out of the way for her to get comfortable, Scott smiled. “Sorry, I’ll make it up to you, how about we have a tea party?”

Before she could answer, a message started flashing on the screen of Scott’s computer. It was a Skype call. A look of delight came across Ember’s face. “It’s Travis!!! Can I say hi daddy, please, please please?”

Shifting her from one leg to the other, Scott nodded, reaching for the mouse. “I guess it’s okay, but not too long? Daddy and Travis have some work to do today.”

“I promise.”

Clicking the button, Scott waited patiently as the call connected, and soon the digital image of Travis appeared before them. Ember started waving madly and he smiled at her. “Travis! Hi hi! Are you coming over for Christmas? Daddy sold the bed in the guest bedroom, so he could buy a new pedal for one of his guitars, but that’s okay, he has a really big bed and you can sleep together with him in there!”

Scott immediately blushed and looked away from the screen. He wasn't expecting her to say such a thing and was slightly embarrassed. “Em!”

“It’s okay Daddy. This other girl at school, she has two dads and they---“

Lifting her off his lap, Scott gently placed her on her feet. “Well I think that’s about enough from you, why don’t you go set up your tea set for our party, or play outside until I am ready okay? I promise it won’t be too long.”

Ember tugged on Scott’s beard. “You better not be! I’ve got extra cookies and if you’re late I am going to eat them all.” Waving at the computer, she blew a kiss to Travis who pretended to catch it and then slapped it on his cheek. “Bye Travis, I love you!”

Travis waved. “Bye Em! Save some of those cookies for Santa!” Smiling at her, he watched as she left Scott’s lap and hurried off in a rush. “You know she’s probably going to hide all the cookies from you now.” He joked.

“I know.” Scott said, adjusting his knit hat. “But as long as she’s happy, I am happy.” He picked up his guitar and strummed a few chords on it.

“How is she doing? I mean with the sickness?” Travis answered quietly.

Looking away from the screen, Scott stopped playing and stared at the keyboard in front of him. He seemed to be overcome with emotion. “It’s hard to accept. I think I am still trying to make myself believe it. Every day I wake up, thinking that this might be her last day, and I have to give it all I have and make it special for her, before there aren’t any more days left. When I put her to bed at night, I kiss her forehead and tell her how much daddy and mommy loves her, so that if she is taken from us, she will know that we truly love her.” Taking a deep breath, Scott squeezed the guitar pic in his hand, shifting it back and forth with his fingers. “But I don’t have to do that anymore. The doctors, they said that it’s like the disease never infected her at all, she’s completely in remission, with no signs of it attacking her at all. Some say that it could have been a misdiagnosis, but I am chalking it up to a Christmas miracle.”

On the other end of the computer, Travis said a quiet prayer of thanks. “That’s wonderful. You know that I love her dearly, and if I lived closer, I’d come over there and join in your tea party, and maybe your sleep over too.” He laughed.

Scott frowned. “What! No! You don’t get to enjoy the party until after your work here is done. We’ve got songs to write first. I got this riff stuck in my head since two days ago and I have to get it out of there before I go insane. I can’t think of lyrics right now, but that’s what you are here for.” He adjusted the guitar and started to play, his fingers moving across the strings faster than he ever imagined. “So this is kind of how it is, only I need some advice for the bridge, and do you think that we should add more drums to the chorus, and place backing vocals around this part…”

“Scott…. Scott… Scott..” Travis tapped the camera attached to his lap top. “Hey, slow down man. Don’t rush it, there’s no hurry. We got this.”

“Oh sorry, sometimes I just get overly anxious. The computer screen flickered a bit and the video signal lagged for a moment. “Travis? Hey, are you still here?” Several moments passed and he waited patiently for the server to catch up.   
Travis reappeared on the screen and scowled. “Well that’s what I get for being in a different part of the country than you are. The snow is piling up here and interfering with the signal. Since it’s Christmas Eve and all, I think we should just skip tonight’s session. Besides, Ember is waiting for you, we can catch up another time.”

Scott threw his pick on the desk in front of him. He felt more than a little disappointed. “Yeah, that will be fine I guess.” He really wanted to spend some time talking to Travis, he was looking forward to it all week. He looked beyond Travis on the monitor to the empty room behind him. “Where is your Christmas tree?”

“Huh?” Travis’s eyes went around his room. “I don’t have one. It’s just me here alone and there’s no need to get one I guess.”

Sighing, heard the soft patter of feet behind him. Turning around on his chair, he saw Ember reappear with bits of colored paper and markers. “Em? I thought we were having a tea party, what are you doing with that? Are we crafting now?”

“No Daddy.” She said, concentrating on her papers. “I was in the other room and I heard what Travis said about not having a Christmas tree, so I decided that I was going to make him a ornament for on our tree! This way he can share ours.”

Travis’s voice echoed over the speakers. “Thank you Ember. You are an angel.”

“I know.” She said, concentrating on her coloring.

Scott sat back in his chair, lost in thought. He thought about Travis, his best friend, being forced to spend the holidays alone, cooped up in his small apartment, diligently working on their music, while he spent time with Ember, doing festive stuff. His eyes went to the massive pile of bills sitting next to his notebook and he let out a long sigh. “Hang on for a minute will you please Travis? I am going to place the call on hold, don’t go anywhere.” Quickly hitting the pause button before he could respond, Travis looked back at Ember, she was smiling at him while she worked. “Em. Come here for a minute will you?” Sitting her markers down, Ember came over to her father and he took her hands in his. “Do you remember how sick you were, and mommy and daddy wished and wished for you to get better, and you did?” Ember nodded to him, her eyes full of curiosity. “I tell everyone that you are my Christmas miracle.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Now I think it’s time that we made one happen for Travis, what do you think?”

Ember’s face lit up with excitement. “Oh Daddy, can we really?”

“Yes. Let’s do it!” Working quickly, Scott opened a new window on his computer and loaded a web page. He entered a few bits of information and in a few clicks later, the printer next to him started to spit out a bunch of papers. “I might regret this, but I need to do it. We both do, right?”

“YES!!” Ember squealed. Scott handed her the papers and put her back on his lap. He returned to the Skype call and un-paused it. Travis was playing one of the songs that they had been working on, singing along to a sheet of hand written lyrics.  
“If you ever find  
The one you think you love,  
Don't ever let her go,  
No never let her go.”  
“That sounds beautiful” Ember said.

Travis blushed, embarrassed of being caught singing. That was the part usually reserved for Scott. He didn't like to be the one in the spotlight. “I am glad you like it Em. Your daddy wrote it for you.”

Ember turned to Scott. “Did you really Daddy? Did you write me a song?”

Leaning down, Scott rubbed his nose against hers and she started to giggle again. “Yes, but it’s not done yet, you’ll only get to hear it if you’re a good girl.”

Scoffing, Ember shuffled the papers in her hand. “I am always good!”

Laughing, Travis smiled at the two. It was good seeing them both together like this, happy and joyful. “Well I am going to let you two go for the day. I am sure that those cookies are still around, just waiting for your tea party. Don't forget to leave some out for Santa.”

“Wait.” Scott said. He looked at Ember and she nodded to him. Some of the color left his face, he was nervous about what he was about to do. She leaned over to whisper something in his ear. Kissing her on the cheek, Scott cleared his throat. “Travis, Ember and I have decided that we don’t want you to be alone on Christmas. You are part of our family now, and this is the one night of the year when all those we love come together to celebrate. Even if it's just for a few hours, we want you here.”

“I’d like to Scott, I really would… but it’s kind of late and super expensive…”

“No more excuses.” Scott nodded to Ember, who held up the flight itinerary. “If you check your email, you will see that you’ve just been gifted a one-way ticket to come and visit us, tonight. The flight leaves in two hours, so if you don’t hurry you will miss it. Don’t worry about packing anything; just get your ass on that plane. We will see you in 6 hours when the plane lands, just in time for dinner.” Travis’s face turned red on the monitor as he picked up his phone and saw the confirmation. He started to say something but Scott cut him off. “It's not open for discussion. I know how far the airport is from your house, and if you don't leave in the next few minutes, you will miss this opportunity. Travis, Ember wants you here, I want you here, you need to be with us. I am going to end the call now, and you're going to move as fast as you can out that door, don't let anything stop you. For once in your life, do something good for yourself and come see us. We will be waiting for you.” Scott motioned, and Ember hit the disconnect button that ended the call. The screen went blank.

“Daddy, do you think he’s really going to come?” Ember asked.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Scott started to have doubts. He didn't put any thought into what he had just done. It was the last of their money that he had spent on a impromptu plane ticket at the last possible second, a truly stupid move to do without talking it over with Travis first, but the spirit of the season got to him. “I don’t know Em. He might not. We just have to wait and see.” Just as he finished speaking, Scott’s phone lit up with a text message. It was from Travis.

Trying to look over his shoulder, Ember struggled to see the screen. “What does it say?” Getting up from his seat, Scott pushed the chair back and walked across the room, running his hands through his hair. “Daddy?” Walking over to him, she put her small hand in his and looked up at him. He had started to cry and turned away from his daughter for a moment so she wouldn't see it. 

Outside their house, across the street, a loud vehicle pulled up to the curb, towing a trailer behind hit. Scott wiped his eyes free of the tears and looked down at her. “Travis said that he will be here for dinner. He's coming Em! He's coming to stay with us!” Bouncing up and down, Ember danced joyously around the small room, twirling about with the red ribbon in her hair trailing behind her. Scott let her have a few moments to celebrate, and then handed her a jacket. “We have to go head to the airport so that we can be there when he arrives.” The little girl nodded, and Scott bent down to help her with her coat and they made their way to the door. Just as they were about to leave, Ember turned around and ran back into the living room. “Em, what are you doing?” Scott asked.

Gathering up her paper and markers, Ember shoved them into a small backpack and threw it over her shoulder. “I am going to work on the Christmas ornament for Travis while we wait for him! I promise that I would make a special one for him, and I don't want to let him down. When it's all finished, I want to give it to him and have him put it right there.” She pointed to the highest point on their meager tree. “Because that's the place closest to the star, the brightest spot on the tree.”

Leading her out the door, Scott smiled. “I think that's a wonderful idea. He's going to love it.”

It was early afternoon and even though the sun was out, there was a bitter cold in the air, and the dark storm clouds high overhead threatened rain. As they headed for the car, Scott kept his fingers crossed that Travis's flight wouldn't be delayed due to weather. He had to have him here tonight. The sound of a car door slamming shut caught his attention and Scott paused to look across the street. There was a vacant house for sale directly across from his which had been sitting empty all winter, and now suddenly there was the trailer he had seen earlier parked in front of it. A woman was taking things from it and moving them into the house. “Hey Em, it looks like we're going to have neighbors... what an odd time to move in, on Christmas eve.”

Ember peeked around the car. “Can we go over and say hi?”

Scott looked at his watch. There was still a lot of time before they absolutely had to be at the airport. “Sure.” He reached out and took her hand, leading her across the street. “Just remember your manners and be nice.” Next to him, Ember rolled her eyes and shook her head. They made their way across the street and had just stepped up onto the curb when a young woman stepped out of the back of the trailer, carrying a box of house plants. She was very pretty, with long dark straight hair and beautiful blue eyes. Seeing the two, she sat her box down and approached them.

“Hello there. I didn't see where you came from; do you two live around here?” She asked. Stepping forward, Scott extended his hand. The young woman shook it, and then brushed some hair away from her eyes. She seemed unusually bright and jovial, without a care or worry in the world.

“Yes, right across the street, actually. My name is Scott, and this is my daughter Ember.” Ember moved forward, extending her hand just like Scott had done and the woman smiled at her and shook it as well. Her touch was warm and soothing.

Returning the smile, the young woman brushed the dust off the front of her jacket and attempted to make herself look more presentable. She didn't plan on meeting the new neighbors so soon but was happy to see them. “Well it's lovely to meet you two. My name is Lizzie, and somewhere out back probably fiddling with the house wiring is my husband, Thomas. He tends to get a bit carried away whenever there's something that needs to be fixed involving electricity or technology.” She laughed. “He's a bit of a nerd.”

Scott looked around the edge of the property, but could not catch sight of the woman's husband. He turned his attention back to her. “So you're moving in on Christmas Eve, that must be really inconvenient, do you need any help? Em and I have to leave in a few moments, but when we get back, we will have a extra set of hands willing to pitch in. I can't imagine that it would be comfortable sitting around on cardboard boxes when you're supposed to be curled up around a fireplace with family tonight.”

Lizzie waved her hand. “Ah it's fine. We really don't have much to worry about, and the things that we do are already where they are meant to be...” She paused for a moment and looked back over her shoulder at the backyard where her husband was. A expression of joy filled her face. “But I do thank you for the offer. As for the fireplace, well we can't have that burning tonight, because then Santa wouldn't have a way to come into the house!” She said, winking at Ember.

Pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket, Scott scrawled his cell phone number on it. “Here is my info. We're right across the street, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask.”

Gently taking the paper from him, Lizzie nodded. “Thank you. We're new to this area and it means a lot to us to have a friendly face or two looking out for us.”

“Anytime you need us, our door is open to you, right Em?” Scott looked down at his daughter who smiled and nodded.

They were just about to say their goodbyes when suddenly there was a voice calling Lizzie's name from the backyard. “Lizzie, Lizzie where are you? I found the best place to look at the stars and I...” Stepping out from around the fence, Lizzie's husband, Thomas appeared. He was dressed modestly in simple clothing, a t-shirt and jeans, and had a large telescope tucked underneath one arm. He looked at Scott and Ember, and for a moment, a strange sensation of familiarity overcame him. Approaching them, he stared directly at Scott, unable to take his eyes off of him. “Do I know you? I feel as though we've met someplace before.”

Lizzie took the telescope from Thomas. “Don't mind him.” She laughed. “He always gets these strange feelings when he meets certain people. It's a odd thing he inherited from his mother.” She turned her attention back to her husband. “This is Scott and Ember. They live in the house across the street, and came over to say hello to us.”

“It's nice to meet you.” Scott said, extending his hand.

Thomas immediately stepped forward and shook it. There was no flash of light, no sudden lost or repressed memories, just two men meeting each other and shaking hands for the first time. “And you as well. Sorry if my wife has been keeping you out here in the cold.” He looked up to the sky. “It's going to snow tonight. Perfect for Christmas Eve I suppose.”

“Perfect for Christmas miracles!” Ember said loudly, mildly embarrassing Scott.

“Exactly!” Lizzie said smiling down at the girl. At that moment, the front door of the house opened up and a little boy stepped out. He had wavy brown hair and deep brown eyes. “Oh, there's Tristan, he's our son. He's named after his grandfather. Tristan dear, come over and say hello to Scott and Ember.” Slowly the boy made his way over to his parents and stood between them. “Go on, say hi.” Remaining quiet, Tristan reached up and took hold of his mother's hand, holding on tightly. His eyes were focused on Ember. “I am sorry, he's a little shy. He's a brilliant boy, he loves stargazing with his father at night and is a bit of a bookworm which kind of makes him a introvert. Once you get to know him, he's the most sweetest boy you'd ever hope to meet. Very kind and polite, just like his father.”

Standing next to Lizzie, Thomas blushed. “Lizzie, it looks like we're holding these nice people up, we should really let them go on their way and you need to go inside, you've been out here too long fussing with those plants.”

“They aren't just any plants, they are rose bushes, Thomas.” She glanced at Scott and sighed. “I am sorry for keeping you for so long, it was just nice having someone to talk to.”

“It's okay. It was nice to meet you. And my offer stands, if you three need a hot meal tonight or any other night, just knock on my door and you're more than welcome to share what we have.” Scott said brightly.

Thomas reached out and shook Scott's hand once again. “Thank you. You are very kind, both of you.” As he turned to walk away, Scott saw him lean over and give Lizzie a kiss on the cheek. She beamed with pride. Behind them, the little boy, Tristan remained for a moment. Lizzie stopped and looked back to him.

Slowly approaching Ember, Tristan kept his gaze locked on her. He had his hands in his pockets and came to stand in front of her. “I like the ribbon in your hair.” He said very quietly. “It's pretty.”

Ember smiled and swished her ponytail around so that it fell over one shoulder. Even with the cloud cover concealing the sun, the dazzling shades of red in her hair glowed bright and brilliant. “Thank you. It was a present from my mom. She doesn't live with us anymore, but she comes to visit. We go to the zoo and the park together with dad. Sometimes we even have picnics. Maybe one day you and your mom and dad can join us! It would be so much fun.”

“I'd... I'd like that.” Tristan stammered.

“Tristan, let them be. They have places to go. Come on back in the house now or you will catch cold. There will be plenty of other days when you can talk to Ember.” Thomas called to his son.

Lizzie smiled at her husband and gently touched his shoulder. “Wait a moment, let him be.”

“My dad is setting up a telescope in the backyard. He's teaching me all about the stars and constellations. If you want to come over, I can show you sometime.” The little boy asked meekly.

Ember looked to Scott for a moment, who nodded to her. “That sounds like fun.” She said.

“Tristan...” Thomas called once again. “Don't make a nuisance of yourself.”

A gentle breeze blew down the street from far away, scattering the first few snowflakes into the air. “I have to go now.”

“Okay. I will see you soon, bye Tristan!” Ember smiled.

As Scott and Ember made their way back across the street, they heard shouting and saw Tristan running after them. “Wait!” he called to them. They stopped and he ran right up to Ember and took hold of her hand, placing something in it. “Merry Christmas Ember!” he said and ran back off toward his parents. Scott waited, seeking some explanation from Thomas and Lizzie but they simply took the boy by the hand and led him back inside. Confused, and getting worried about time, Scott led Ember back to the car and opened the door for her. She slipped into the passenger’s seat, and buckled her belt. As he started the car, he looked over to his daughter.

“What a strange little boy. What did he give you?” Scott asked.

Ember pulled her fingers back, revealing a silver crystal encrusted crescent moon hairpin in the palm of her hand. 

As the car pulled away, taking Scott and Ember to the airport, the air shifted and shimmered as the man in black appeared again, standing on the edge of the curb. He watched them drive away. 

Brock pulled his car into the lot of the music store, finding a spot that was far away from the entrance and parked there. It was nearly Christmas and the store was packed with customers hurrying about, trying to find the perfect musical instrument for their loved ones in time for the big day. He didn't feel like dealing with crowds today, but forced himself to go out anyway. He was spending far too much time at home with his sister and parents, using them as a distraction for the emotions that he refused to confront. His best friend, and front man of his band, Justin, had died suddenly, taking with him all the hope that Brock had for the future. He wanted to get out of Ohio, move onto something bigger, play music for larger crowds, but now it seemed like none of that was going to happen. It's not like he hated where he was, he just wanted to share his music with others. Brock's parents and his siblings loved and supported him as much as they could, but at the end of the day, when they all went to bed and he was left with his own dark thoughts, he felt very much alone. 

Reaching down, he turned on the radio. It was set to a local station that played unsigned bands from the area. He leaned back in the seat of the car and took a deep breath, listening to some random commercials that came on. The hushed tones of the announcer comforted him, surrounding him in a blanket of white noise that was quite soothing. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then the first notes of one of their songs came on the radio, the familiar chords and melody spilling out over the speakers in his car. “No.” Brock whispered, and quickly shut it off. Pulling the keys out of the ignition, he quickly exited the vehicle and slammed the door behind him loudly, then started to walk off towards the entrance, his boots crunching in the new fallen snow. A few cars away, a woman was watching him with interest.

As he entered the store, Brock made his way through the massive waves of shoppers and toward the back where all the guitars were kept. It was slightly less crowded there, partly because most of the business done there was all custom work for musicians. He took a place in line, and looked around at all the guitars lined up for sale, covering the walls of the shop. It was heaven for him. He knew the name of each one and how it sounded when played. Brock absolutely loved music, it was the sole thing that kept him going, even when things got bad, it was always there for him. Except for now. Now, he couldn't even bare to hear anything that remotely reminded him of Justin or the band. Thinking about him was like having a lose tooth that you kept prodding at with your tongue, trying to get it to fall out. Only in Brock's case, 'falling out' meant falling apart, and he couldn't let that happen. He was trying everything he could to hold on, to keep it together just a little bit longer, but it was getting so hard. Something would change, it had to or else he felt as though he would break. 

“How much is it?” A man in front of him asked the store clerk. He pointed to a beautiful band new bass which hung over the register as a show piece. After hearing the price, the young man frowned and tried to bargain with the employee, even asking him for store credit, but he wasn't budging. They talked for several minutes before he gave up and walked away from the counter, obviously disappointed.

It was Brock's turn next. The man behind the counter gave him a sympathetic look. “Hey Brock. I heard about what happened to Justin. It's a real shame, he was so young. Life will do that to you though if you live it the way that he did. Too much all at once and it's bound to catch up with you sooner or later.”

Brock didn't want to hear any of this, but he knew his manners and simply refused to acknowledge what had just been said to him. “Do you have the guitar ready or not? I'd like to just get it and leave now.”

The counter man sighed and frowned. “Yeah it's here, give me a minute.”

As he walked away, the young man that had been looking at the base came over and stood next to him. “Are you in a band?” He asked.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Brock kept his eyes on the guitars in front of him on the walls; he didn't really feel engaging in conversation. “Yeah, I used to be, but not anymore.” He stopped his words there, the stranger didn't need a explanation, and Brock didn't feel like telling him anything personal anyway.

“I see.” The man leaned over the glass case and scratched his beard. “My friend, he's a bass player and I, we're looking to get started, but it's so hard to find good, decent people to play with. All everyone wants to do now days is play cover tunes. We're more interested in doing something original, new, something that no one has ever heard of or seen before.”

“I am sure that you will find something, eventually. Don't give up.” Brock said flatly. He didn't want to completely blow the guy off, but he also wasn't in the mood for another broke, down on his luck musician story. He wished that the clerk would come back, he wanted to pick up Justin's guitar and then go home, back to his misery again.

The man reached forward and ran his fingers over the fingerboard of the bass which he had been looking at. “You know, the reason why I like music so much isn't the fame or fortune that it brings, it's something else. It's that moment when you're up there on that stage, and all the audience is watching you, and you look out to see them, and can't see anything but those bright lights flooding everything in this intense white brilliance... but you can hear them. You can hear those people out there in the crowd singing along to your music, chanting every single word, filling you with a indescribable energy that makes you want to keep playing more and more. Those people, the ones who pay for a ticket to the show, they don't care if you've had a shitty day, or if you're not feeling well. They are depending on you to play the melodies that carry them away to another place where they can escape to for a short time, where there's no bills to pay, no drama, nothing but pure energy and light. For those two hours, you are all they got, and from the moment you step on stage, they are counting on you to make the magic happen.” The man let go of the guitar and took a step away from Brock. “If I can have the power, to make people feel this way, then that's why I want to play music. I want to set people free.”

As he finished his speech, the clerk returned with Justin's custom guitar, sitting it down gently on top of the glass case in front of Brock. “That's sure a beauty.” He said. That boy, he really knew how to pick the good guitars, too bad he wasn't smart enough to pick where his life went.”

Brock's hand clenched into a fist. He closed his eyes for a moment and then pulled out his wallet, speaking calmly. “How much do I owe you for it?”

The clerk shook his head. “Nothing. He already paid for it. Here's the receipt.” Pulling out a small piece of paper from his pocket, the clerk handed it to Brock, who took it and slowly unfolded it with trembling hands. He didn't care about the amount printed on it, he didn't care about how it was paid off, all he wanted to see was Justin's signature at the bottom. Scrawled out in flowing blue ink, it flowed from one edge of the paper to the other, front and center, just like Justin. Brock's fingers ran over the letters, and he started to feel sick, knowing that he was a holding a piece of paper that had the signature on it that Justin would ever sign. The clerk pushed the instrument towards Brock. “If you don't mind, can you take it and go, I've got other customers waiting to be helped. It's Christmas, you know and they've got to get their gear too.”

Wrapping his fingers around the neck of the guitar, Brock noticed how heavy it felt. He could see the other shoppers in the room watching him. Taking a deep breath, he placed the instrument back down on the case. He whispered to himself. “It's Christmas.”

The clerk stared at him in wonder. “Is there something wrong with it?”

Brock pushed the guitar away from him. “I want to trade it in. For that.” He pointed to the bass that the other man had been looking at.

“Well, you can... but it would be a big mistake. That bass over there is only a quarter of the price of this custom job here. If you traded this guitar in for that, you'd be out of a hell of a lot of money, and we don't refund the difference. Not to mention it's just a stupid thing to do.”

“I don't care.” Brock said. He was quickly losing patience with the man. “Justin left me in charge of the gear, and I am choosing what to do with it. It's my choice. I want to pay it forward.”

The clerk shrugged. “Fine suit yourself.” Brock watched as the man took Justin's guitar away into the back room. He returned a few moments later and pulled the bass down from the display case and handed it to him. “I'll need that receipt back that I gave you.”

Lifting the bass up, Brock gently pulled it off the glass case and shoved the receipt into his pocket. “No. This is mine. I am keeping it. Thanks for all your help.” He turned around and walked out of the guitar room and back into the main part of the shop. Weaving in and out through the crowd, Brock spotted the man who had been in the room next to him and approached him. As soon as he came near, the man's eyes focused on the bass that Brock was holding.

“Holy hell, you bought it. That's so cool! I heard it's a real pleasure to play.” He said.

Holding it out, Brock offered it to the man. “I want you to have this. Don't ask any questions, please, just take it and give it to your friend. Never give up on your dreams, chase after them and maybe one day you will find yourself up there on that stage, surrounded by lights.” At first the man stood there, shocked and surprised by the generous gesture, refusing to take it. Only after Brock pushed it towards him again did he take it.

“I don't think I can accept this.” The man said.

“Yes you can, because above all else, music succeeds where words fail.” Brock was overcome with emotion. “I lost a friend because I wasn't really listening to him. His words, his pleas and cries for help fell on deaf ears that we all refused to hear. Only now that he's gone have I really heard them. He was calling out for help the entire time, using lyrics to tell us how he was feeling... but we chose to ignore it. Take this and make the music that people turn to when they are feeling lost, or alone. Be the one who lets them find peace.” Feeling his eyes become wet with tears, Brock quickly turned and shoved his way through the crowd and out into the parking lot leaving the baffled man behind him.

It was freezing cold outside, but Brock felt like he was burning up with a fever. He was angry and upset, feeling completely overwhelmed and confused all at once. As he made his way back to the car, he pulled his jacket off and threw it aside. Rage filled him, and he wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was because he felt helpless for what happened to Justin, or for not really seeing how badly addicted to drugs that he became. Brock blamed himself for his downfall, judging himself guilty for only being interested in the music, and failing to see the pain that his friend was going through. Lashing out in fury, Brock kicked at the front bumper of his car, over and over again. He felt the metal give way underneath his foot, but didn't care; he continued to kick at it. It felt good to destroy something. The other customers watched him with a look of concern on their face, but none of them stopped to help him. He continued to kick at his car until he was out of breath and exhausted. Leaning with his back against it, Brock slipped down onto the hard, wet ground and lowered his head.

He sat there for several minutes before he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw a blond woman, dressed in a thick wool coat with a matching hat and scarf kneeling down beside him. She was carrying a violin case. “I saw you inside the music store. You gave that man a bass for his friend. That was a lovely gesture. I've never seen such kindness before. I wanted to come over to you and say how wonderful it was for you to do that on Christmas, but I lost you in the crowd. Then I came out here and found you.” The woman kept her hand on Brock's shoulder. He noticed that she smelled slightly of lilacs. “I am not going to ask you what's wrong, or if you are okay, because it's clear that you are not. So instead I am going to sit right down here next to you, by your side and keep you company for a while, if that's okay with you?”

Brock looked at her with red-rimmed eyes. Someone else sat with him like this once before when he was having a breakdown... but it never happened before... or did it? Maybe it in a dream. “Why would you want to do that? It's cold out here and you don't even know me.” He glanced at her well kept violin case, and her fancy, expensive clothes. “I don't think you'd even want to know me either.”

The woman frowned. “That's a horrible presumption to make. You shouldn't judge people by their outward appearances. If you do, then you are going to miss some of the most wonderful opportunities in your life.” Pulling her hand away from his shoulder, she came to sit next to him. “My name is Siobhan, and yours is...”

“Brock.”

“Well now we know each other. We're not strangers anymore, so I am going to talk to you for a few moments, while we're sitting here waiting for it to snow again.” Siobhan wrapped her scarf a little tighter around her neck and curled up into her thick coat. “This is the best and the worst time of the year, you know? People are at their very best and their very worst. I've seen people that don't have much to give, slip their last few dollars into a donation bucket at the entrance of a grocery store. I've seen rude men and woman push elderly people out of the way to get to some bargain item on a shelf that they probably didn't even need in the first place. But the thing that has touched my heart the most is what I saw in there. What you did for that man is wonderful.”

Brock leaned his head back against the car. “No it's not. I only did it because I couldn't keep that guitar. It was for Justin. He was the one that designed it, every time I looked at the damned thing I knew that it would remind me of him, and how I failed him. I should have seen all the signs. So I gave it away.”

“Whatever demons he was struggling with was his own burden to bear, Brock. Maybe you could have helped him, maybe you couldn't have. It's that not knowing that is what is eating away at you from the inside. If you don't deal with this guilt soon, then I am afraid that you will never be able to overcome it. It will hang over your head like a cloud, always threatening to ruin your happiness. You have to let it go.” Siobhan reached out and took hold of his hand. Brock wanted to pull away, but instead he held on to her. Her tiny hand fit perfectly in his.

“How can I get rid of it? I feel like it's buried so deep inside of me, crushing my chest and cutting off the air that I breathe. I can't sleep, I can't eat... I've been lying to my family about how I am feeling, and I hate doing that. They are only trying to help me. It's getting so hard to go home and put on a happy face when all I want to do is break down and cry. I haven't been able to think clearly since I heard he had died. Tell me Siobhan, how do I make the pain stop?” Brock's wild eyes searched hers for an answer. 

Leaning over, Siobhan picked up Brock's jacket from where he had tossed it and handed it to him. “Well it’s not that easy if you’re doing it alone. You need friends, and if you let me, I’d like to be one of them.” She saw Brock look up at her with his sad eyes. He was still suffering so badly from the loss of this friend, but he was listening to her. All he needed was someone there for him. “The first step is getting up off this ground and letting me buy you a cup of coffee. So what do you say? Would you like to? Should we get out of there and go someplace a little warmer?”

Brock and Siobhan left the parking lot together, unaware of the fact that there was someone watching them from the shadows. 

Dustin clipped his ID badge onto the pocket of his white button down shirt and pushed his glasses back up onto his nose. He grabbed his cup of coffee and slowly made his way through the halls at the research center. It was the Christmas eve and most of the other scientists and researchers had chosen to take a vacation day to spend with their families, so the halls were thankfully free of any holiday well-wishers wanting to smile at him and say hello. Dustin was tired and in an incredibly grumpy mood from staying up far too late the night before. He was working on writing music, and consumed with inspiration, he had lost track of time and let the night just slip by. All of his friends and family frowned on his hobby, chastising him for choosing something so foolish and time consuming that took away from his ‘normal’ career, but even through all the criticism, Dustin chose to stick it out, knowing that he wasn’t made for sitting in front of a computer monitoring satellite transmissions all day. He had a fabulous story to tell, but he wasn’t a writer or artist, he was a composer. The music came to him as naturally as breathing did, but sometimes the words eluded him, or refused to come at all, and that frustrated him more than anything. Persistent as ever, he kept at it, and after long hours, he would return home to his small apartment and compose music until he became so tired that his eyes would no longer stay open and he had to retreat to bed. There were often times where he would forget to eat, and go a day or two without food, because he was so busy with his music. Even against all odds with friends and family telling him that he was wasting his time, he kept at it, certain that he was heading down the right path.

Sitting down at his desk, Dustin took a sip of his black coffee and noticed a small box sitting on his desk. Looking around curiously, he wondered who it was from, as the building was nearly empty. His first reaction was to toss it aside and get right into work, but he knew that it would be on his mind all day and resorted to giving in and opening it. Holding the small box the in palm of his hand, he pulled the blue bow off the top and then lifted the lid. Inside, he found a simple, but elegant black bow tie. “I thought that you might want to look the part of a real scientist for a change.” A voice called out behind him. Turning around, Dustin saw the smiling face of his mentor and friend, Dr. Wise. He walked over to stand next to Dustin’s computer terminal.

“Do you like it?” The doctor pointed to the one that he was wearing, which was made with gaudy holiday fabric which stood out like a sore thumb. “I thought that it was about time that you joined our little group of nerdy scientists here. My wife makes them. She has a lot of free time on her hands, and it’s a good hobby for her to have. It keeps her hands moving and her mind off the pain for a while, plus they make me look sophisticated.” He said, laughing.

“Yeah, if that’s what you want to call it, it wouldn't be my choice of words.” Dustin said, sarcastically. “It’s nice. Good choice of the basic black too. I wouldn’t want to stand out too much the room full of nerds.” Dustin joked. He fumbled with the smooth silk as he slipped the bow tie around his neck and adjusted it slightly. “There, how is that?”

Dr. Wise beamed with pride. “Looks great. You have the brains for the job, now you’ve got the clothes, the last thing you need to do to fit in is get rid of that terrible haircut of yours. It looks awful.”

Dustin frowned. “What? And get rid of the rock-star look? Nah I think I will keep it just a little while longer just in-case this music career decides to pan out. “

“Dustin, you are a brilliant scientist. The things that you come up with and the research you’ve been doing towards your Master’s degree is simply astounding, but, I am afraid that you aren’t applying yourself enough to the job. You can’t keep coming in half dead like this, it doesn’t reflect well on you or us.” Having had this conversation several times before, Dustin sat back in his chair and casually started sipping his coffee, only partly paying attention to the doctor. He rolled his eyes. “What I am saying is that we’re giving you a last warning here. Either you get your act together and follow the rules, or you’re out.”

“Shape up or ship out, I get you.” Dustin said, as he booted up his computer. “I got work to do.”

Dr. Wise slammed his hand down on the desk in front of Dustin. The sudden movement startled him and almost made spill his coffee. “Why aren’t you taking this seriously? God damn it Dustin, I am trying to help you here. I’ve stood up for you in countless meetings telling the board of directors just how bloody brilliant you are, and that you are the best student that I have ever had. I have stuck my neck out for you and put my own on the chopping block when they were calling for blood because you failed to turn in your reports.” He stopped and took a long, deep breath. “Dustin… I am an old man. I am obviously not going to be around much longer. Science and technology is expanding, increasing every single day and it’s becoming difficult for me to keep up with it. You are getting a opportunity here like no other. When I step down, they will need someone to take my place, and with all that knowledge in your head, you would be the most likely candidate for the position… but they won’t even consider you if you keep doing what you are doing. Music isn’t the path for you.” Dr. Wise pointed at the array of computers lining the wall of the lab. “This is what you have to do. Anything else would be a mistake.”

Staring at his computer screen, Dustin opened his email and then went about loading his notes from the previous day, ignoring the doctor completely. “Are you finished now Dr. Wise?” He asked, turning to look at him above the rim of his glasses. “I have a lot of work to get done today and I really need to get started.” He repeated.

Astounded by the sheer arrogance of Dustin’s words and tone, Dr. Wise turned away from him and started walking to the door. As he reached it, he turned around and called back to him. “You don’t deserve to wear that bow-tie.” Opening up a desk drawer, Dustin pulled out a set of ear buds and popped them in, turning the volume up on his phone to max and playing some Breaking Benjamin music, drowning him out completely. Frustrated, Dr. Wise shook his head. “Boy, you’ve got some demons to deal with, and until you work them all out, you will never amount to anything.” Pulling the door in front of him open, the doctor stepped through and slammed it behind him. It was so loud that Dustin could even hear it echoing over his headphones.

Turning his attention back to the screen, he started to initialize the satellite array which monitored events from space and sent data back to his screen. It was a long start up process that bored him to no end. He watched the steam rising from his coffee cup and ran his fingers through his dirty, unkempt hair. The doctor’s words about how he was his best student ran through his brain for a few moments. He had never been given such praise before, not by his friends, not by his family or anyone else. Dr. Wise was standing up for him, but at the same time he was trying to get him to conform to their standards, which was something that Dustin was not pleased with at all. He wanted a career with NASA, and yet, he also wanted a career in the music industry. They were two life choices that didn’t mess well together. His family wanted him to continue his research and get his Master’s degree, but all of his friends thought that he would be better suited as a musician, if he could just find his niche.

Letting out a frustrated cry, Dustin lifted his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Suddenly there was a loud beep on his screen and windows of information began pouring in. Pulling out his ear-buds, he leaned forward and examined the information on his screen with wide eyes. “Oh my god…” he whispered. “It’s a new planet. I've found a new planet!!” He scanned the screen quickly, taking in every bit of information that he could. The planet had the exact composition as Earth, with one major difference, the chemical compound that made up their natural resources was triple that of what he was used to seeing. It was a energy storehouse, waiting to be discovered. Grabbing a pen to copy down the coordinates, he looked around desperately for a piece of paper, but couldn’t find any. Cursing under his breath, he rolled up his sleeve and scrawled the numbers onto his forearm with thick black ink. Folding the cuff back down, he neatly buttoned it and returned to the screen. “What shall we call you? Hmm…how about Prox?” Just as he was about to enter the information into the system to save and register the new discovery, he stopped and gazed dully at the screen. His eyes focused on the letters at the bottom of the screen which read: ‘signs of life detected’. Suddenly the door at the far end of the hall burst open and Dr. Wise entered with two security guards in tow. He looked pale and nervous. Something was wrong. Sliding his glasses back up onto his nose, Dustin glared at them. “What’s going on?”

Dr. Wise stepped forward, and the two men joined him. “I tried to warn you Dustin. I tried to tell you that my superiors were watching you and everything that you did. All I asked for is for a little cooperation from you, and you refused to give it and now it’s gone out of my hands. I am just following orders here. You are to be removed from your position and all notes handed over immediately. Including any and ALL new discoveries you have possibly made. After that, you will be escorted from the building with the instructions never to return.”

Standing up, Dustin pushed his chair back eyed the armed guards suspiciously. He felt weak in the knees. “I don’t get it. I am being fired because I came in late today? It’s kind of drastic isn’t it?”

“It’s called insubordination, which our company doesn’t take lightly. Please hand me your badge. All your credentials will be revoked immediately and the progression towards your Master’s degree erased.” Dr. Wise said coldly.

“This is bullshit! You were in here just a few minutes ago praising me about how well I am doing, and how much you need me and, and now you’re ready to boot me out the door and strip me of my degree just because I talked back to you. It’s ridiculous!! What the fuck is going on?” Dustin fumed.

The doctor’s face softened up a bit. “Dustin, I really am sorry. If I could change this I would. You know that I think of you more like a son than a student.” He looked away for a moment. “I am just following orders here too, I can’t put my job in jeopardy over you. My wife… she’s sick, they are helping her with new medication.. Please…”

Dustin looked down at his screen. Something didn’t sit right with him. Why now, on the day before Christmas would the supervisors be making the call to sack him so suddenly? The image of the new found planet flashed across the monitor, reflecting in his glasses. That's what they wanted. He had potentially just put an entire race of people in danger by exposing them. “Holy shit…” he mumbled under his breath. His mind raced fast, trying to think of what he could do. He was the person who designed the program that used the satellites to search for life on other planets, no one else could use it. All it would take was a few keystrokes and he could permanently remove all traces of the planet he had just found as well as destroy the program itself. If he was being forced out, he would take the new discovery with him. “Alright, I’ll go with you, but please just give me a moment here to save everything I have been working on. If I leave the program running, it will freeze up and none of the data will be able to be recovered.” He nodded to Dr. Wise, who looked him right in the eyes, and nodded back. The doctor was on his side.

“Make it quick.” The doctor said in stern tone.

Moving as quickly as he could, Dustin returned to the keyboard and with a few quick keystrokes, brought up the menu which displayed the beautiful blue and white planet. The view from outer space was amazing, it had high puffy clouds over vast, deep oceans that crept up to green flat plains. It was so peaceful and serene. He whispered underneath his breath as he worked. “I am not going to let them have you. Your secret is safe with me. It's okay, I promise.” Typing in commands as fast as he could, one by one the windows on his computer started disappearing, replaced with errors and warning messages. He sighed to himself as his finger sat on top of the delete key, in anticipation of permanently erasing every bit of work that he had done up to this point. So many years of knowledge and information gone with the press of one single button. He glanced briefly back to the doctor who met his gaze and then looked at his watch. It was time to go. Once again, Dustin stood up from his chair as the guards came over to him and took hold of him by each arm. “Hey! Not so rough!” He yelled at them. They gave him a quick shove to get him moving, and as he lurched forward, he found the perfect opportunity to hit the delete key. As it sent the signal into the system, the screen went black and the whole computer shut down. Everything was gone. The guards didn't notice what he had done, but the doctor did. Dustin waited for him to say something, but he didn't. Prox was safe, for now. Grabbing the cup of coffee off his desk, Dustin let the guards lead him out of the computer lab with Dr. Wise following behind.

As they made it to the main entrance, one of the guards pulled off Dustin’s badge, yanking harshly on his pocket, while the other one frisked him, looking for any stolen flash drives or computer components. All the while Dr. Wise was watching the process, a look of discontentment on his face. A few minutes later and they were done. One of the guards pushed Dustin towards the exit and Dr. Wise came forward speaking in a low, hushed tone. “Now that I have had the chance to think more on it, I don’t believe that you are suited for this organization after all. There are things happening here that are going to change the world as we know it, and I would hate to see you ruin your life because of it. Get out Dustin, go as far away from here as you can and don’t look back.”

“What about you?” Dustin asked, looking back at the man who had mentored him for so many years. It seemed a shame that their friendship would end this way.

Dr. Wise shoved his hands into his pockets and gave Dustin a knowing look. “Eh who knows? I am getting old and not much use around here anymore. Maybe I will retire to some far away planet where I can live out the rest of my days drinking alcoholic beverages on the beach and watching the tide roll in.” He smiled at Dustin. “If I can ever find such a place.” The two men exchanged glances, and then right on cue, one of the guards pushed Dustin on the back again, urging him closer to the door. He had no choice to walk away. As he headed out, he heard Dr. Wise call to him. “Oh and Dustin, one more thing. No matter where you go or what you do, don’t take that bow tie off. It looks good on you.” The doors slid shut in front of Dustin’s face and he could no longer see the doctor.

Standing alone on the street, with nothing more than his cold cup of coffee, Dustin turned his gaze upwards to the sky, following the line of the massive building in front of him. Small, delicate snowflakes started to flutter down from the clouds as people pressed their way through the streets, hurrying to get home before the storm hit. As the cars passed by Dustin watched them all with interest; every single one of them was carrying people to and from their destination. They all had places to go tonight. Not him. It was Christmas and he was standing by himself on a busy street, holding a mug of now cold coffee. “Well, fuck.” A man walking by Dustin suddenly lurched forward, tripping over something in the street, and fell against him, causing him to spill the contents of his mug all over the front of his white shirt. Running by, the man muttered a quick apology and kept going, leaving Dustin drenched and upset. “Goddamn it!” He shouted, taking hold of the now empty mug and throwing it against the side of the building. It hit the concrete wall and shattered into a hundred pieces. The snow started falling faster and Dustin pulled his jacket around him, as the temperature dropped. He had planned on spending the holiday at work, doing some more research with the satellite array, but now that was completely out of the question. All of his friends were busy doing their own family thing, and he would have to spend Christmas alone now. Looking down at his miserably stained shirt, he sighed. “I guess this is what I deserve for being so arrogant. Family, friends, job… all gone.” Wiping away the coffee as best as he could with his sleeve, he glanced at his arm and saw the markings written on his skin there through the semi transparent shirt. Rolling up the fabric, he ran his hand down the length of his arm, over the coordinates of Prox, and a unnatural chill shot down his spine. This was the location of a place that was still new, untouched by greedy human hands. For some odd reason, he felt fiercely protective of it. No one would destroy it as the people of Earth had done to their own home here. He would be their protector.

His thoughts were interrupted by his cell phone vibrating in his back pocket. Pulling it out, he unlocked it and glanced at the screen. It was a unknown caller. He quickly hit decline, he wasn’t in the mood for annoying sales calls at the moment. As soon as his finger hit the button to reject it, his phone lit up again with the same number. Annoyed, he declined it again but this time waited. Sure enough, within seconds, the phone vibrated in his hand. Someone really wanted to talk to him. Trying not to sound too irritated, Dustin answered the call. “Listen, whoever you are with a hidden number, I suggest that you stop calling me, I’ve had one hell of a day and I am in no mood for your sales pitch.”

“Do not disconnect this call. Your life may depend on it.” The male voice on the other end spoke softly, almost gently to him. He picked up a slight accent to the caller's voice.

Dustin stepped away from the street and ducked into a alleyway for privacy. “Who the hell is this? I don’t play along with prank phone calls, so you can stop wasting both our time and fuck off right now.”

“It’s about Prox.”

Dustin’s heart skipped a beat. “How do you know about that?”

The voice on the other end of the line hesitated for a moment before answering. “We’ve been watching you for several months now. Your phone and your computer have been closely monitored, until today when we lost connection after you discovered the new planet. We want to protect and preserve it as much as you do Mr. Bates. We are not here to harm you in anyway, but the information that you are carrying on you right now, the hidden coordinates are putting you in danger. There are others who will be seeking you out, trying to get them from you.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Dustin felt a headache coming on. This was all too much. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. There was a chance that someone was setting him up, that this was all some sort of joke, but somehow he knew that wasn’t the case. Something inside of him told him that the anonymous voice on the other end of the line was speaking the truth, and he had no choice but to listen and do as he was told, even though it went against everything that he believed in. High overhead, a large black crow flew onto a power cable and looked down at him with interest. “What do you want me to do?”

“We need you to turn the masses against them, make their corruption of mankind known, expose them for that what truly are, before they gain strength, and it’s too late. Bring down the corporation.”

Shaking his head, Dustin frowned. The snow was starting to cover the ground now, and the wind picking up slightly, he had to get in out of the cold, and soon. “And how do you expect me to do that? I am not exactly in a position of power now, no one will listen. I am just a crazy, out of work scientist who was stripped of all his credentials.”

“That’s exactly what we want them to believe. You do have power, Dustin Bates, but it is not as obvious as you may think. Your power lies not in speeches and marketing campaigns, but through the magic of music, melody and light. You have been gifted with a talent that people will stand up and take notice. You will hide your secret in plain sight, and you will preach to those who have been awakened. I assure you, once you find the right audience, they will listen. When they leave the demonstrations they will return to their homes and start to spread the message among like-minded people. These people will then become the messengers for the future, and our words, your words will be spread amongst the stars. Dustin Bates, I ask you now, of your own free will, will you join our cause and help spread the message?”

Looking up to the crow perched on the wire, Dustin noticed it looking back, watching him with it’s cold, black eyes. “Yeah sure. I’ll do whatever I can.” A dark shape further back in the alley caught his eye and he tried to focus on it, but all he could make out was shadows and darkness. He felt a familiar presence near and a chill ran down his spine. Taking a step forward and adjusting his glasses he thought that he saw a man standing there, watching him and was ready to call to him when the voice on the other end of the line spoke. 

“Welcome to the Starset Society, Dustin Bates.”

The shadow at the end of the alleyway vanished. 

It was late evening, and the venue was starting to clear out. The stage was being disassembled, the floor swept up and the last of the fans quickly escorted out. The truck drivers were waiting patiently as the loads of equipment and gear were loaded into their rigs. It was Christmas eve, and the last show of the season of Breaking Benjamin and everyone wanted to hurry and get home to their families in time to celebrate the holiday. This had been a very long, drawn out tour, which started in early spring and ran on all the way through into the chilly winter months. Everyone was anxious to go home, all but Ben. There were whispers and rumors that there were troubles at home, which he kept avoided by booking more and more shows, hoping to postpone the inevitable. As holidays loomed closer, it was obvious that he could no longer keep pushing the crew to do show after show every single night, and they were starting to miss their families. Finally at the of the year, Ben conceded and agreed that it was time for a small break, but they would soon start up again after the holidays. When asked about Ben’s state of mind, and his reasoning behind booking a completely full schedule, his band mates always made up some excuse about finding it difficult to store their gear for long periods of time, and wanting to be out on the road, making music and seeing their fans. No one knew the true reason why Ben booked so many shows, but for every event that they went to, they put all their effort into it, like every single one was special, because they all loved and respected the man, and would do anything for him. 

As the gear was being packed up, Aaron walked out to see Benjamin casually standing on the center of the stage, watching the activity around him with a cigarette in his hand. As usual, he was standing in a place where there wasn’t much light, surrounded by darkness. Aaron approached him slowly. “Hey Ben, I wanted to let you know that all the rigs and most of gear are all packed up in the first truck, they will be heading out shortly. There are only a few things left to get here on stage to gather up and it looks like we’re done here. Jasen and I are going to head out and catch a flight back home while we’re close to the airport. I hope you don’t mind us skipping out and avoiding the bus ride home, but we’re both anxious to get back to family… and they kids, ya know?” Aaron waited for Ben to answer him, but he didn’t. “The snow is supposed to hold off until later tonight, so you should have a good drive back. I know a lot of the roadies are looking forward to getting home too, it’s been a while since they had a decent break…not that any of them complained or anything, but they all just needed a breather before we start all this up again. There’s only so many microwave burritos and chicken quesadilas that you can eat on the road before it gets tiresome.” He laughed.

Ben took a drag off his cigarette and flicked the ashes onto the stage. The venue’s heat was turned down for the holidays and he could immediately feel the shift in temperature as it dropped drastically. Pulling up his hood, Benjamin shivered slightly underneath the three layers of clothing that he had on. There was an all too familiar ache starting to return to his bones, creeping in through his lungs and spreading though his entire system, slowly sapping his energy. He could have waited in the climate controlled dressing room while everything was carefully packed away, but he wanted to be here, watching it as it all came down around him. 

Noticing that Ben did not even bother to look over at him, Aaron moved to stand beside him and watch the roadies do their thing as well. “Yeah we got a great group of guys here. We’ve been working so long with them now, I think that I’ve started to consider them my extended family, especially Terry. He’s one hell of a hard worker. Let me tell you Ben, you really choose good people. They are honest, hardworking and really dependable. I am going to miss them in the few weeks that we are off.” 

Still not responding to Aaron, Ben’s gray green eyes were focused on the massive banner which hung behind the stage which bore their logo. Emblazoned in bright colors of red and orange, it flowed slightly in the air as the roadies loosened the ropes that would release it. “I always hate this part.” Ben said softly. There was a slight tone of sorrow in his voice as he spoke, something that Aaron picked up on right away. “I never it when things end, I wish that the music, the lights, the memories, would never stop, and we could go on forever.”

Aaron motioned towards the banner. “Eh, it’s never going to end, Ben. We’re going to be doing this until we’re all old and gray. Hell, they will have to pry the guitar out of my cold, dead hands before I stop.” He chuckled; glancing over at Ben who was obviously did not find the same humor in it. Suddenly feeling awkward at Ben’s silence, Aaron scratched at his bald head. “Uh yeah, well we will be back out in a few months anyway, picking up right where we left off and starting all over again.”

“What if that doesn’t happen?” Ben said quietly. 

Aaron raised an eyebrow. “Huh? What do you mean?” For the first time, he noticed how thin Ben had become, how dark his eyes looked and how completely different he was from when he was on stage earlier. All the life seemed to have been sucked out of him, leaving nothing more than a cold, empty shell of a man behind. He didn’t like seeing Ben this way. He suddenly felt very concerned, and Ben’s words now really frightened him. 

Benjamin tilted his head slightly so that the hat he was wearing cast shadows down onto his face. “You said that everyone is anxious to go back to their families, but not me. I keep those that I care about close to me. My family is right here with me.” He looked down to the cigarette clutched between his fingers, admiring the bright orange glow from the embers. “The reason why I tour and push you all so much is because when I step out here on the stage, no matter what city we are in, or what part of the country we are in, that is my home. I don’t need a fancy table with expensive food on it, or a big house filled with relatives I barely know to celebrate the season, all I need is all of you.”

The words that Ben spoke should have been filled with inspiration and happiness, but instead, Aaron picked up on a note of sadness and remorse. He didn’t like it one bit, or understand why he was being so dark all of a sudden. They should have been backstage, celebrating the end of a very successful tour, not standing here in a freezing cold venue watching the stage being torn down. Knowing that Ben didn’t like to openly talk about his feelings, Aaron threw caution to the wind and decided that he needed to ask. He couldn’t just leave him like this. “Is something bothering you Ben?”

Flicking his cigarette off onto the floor, Benjamin suddenly grabbed at Aaron’s shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. Thrown off guard, Aaron didn’t know what to do or say, so he simply wrapped his arms around his friend and held him tightly. Ben’s body seemed so fragile and delicate, a mere shadow of the man that he had been one year ago. He whispered quietly to him. “You have to sing for them, Aaron. You and Keith both. When you stand up here on the stage, you have to use your voice and sing for them, as loud as you can, for the ones who cannot. They need that music to hold onto and get them through life. You must be the voice when all the others fall silent. Promise me that you will never turn your back on them.”

“I wouldn’t turn my back on anyone.” Aaron said sharply. He didn’t quite understand why he was being so cryptic, and chalked it up to just being exhausted from a very long tour. He felt as though Ben was looking for something, reassurance or affirmation perhaps that things were going to be alright. “This band, the fans, everyone means a lot to me as well, and you Benjamin, you are the glue that holds us all together. Of course we’re going to keep singing together, we’re a band, that’s what we do. This is the end of a tour, not the end of Breaking Benjamin.”

Still holding Aaron in his arms, Benjamin squeezed him tighter. “It’s going to get dark soon. Very dark, but I promise you that the dawn will come. Everything happens for a reason Aaron, and sometimes it is necessary to step out of the light so that the others who have been shrouded in darkness can feel the warmth.” Speechless, Aaron felt Benjamin release him and at the same time, the heaviness in his chest went away. “You and Jasen have a plane to catch.” Ben said softly. “Better hurry or you will miss it. Go home to your wife and son.” Aaron was about to say something when Ben turned and walked away. One of the stage hands pulled the last rope which held the large Breaking Benjamin banner suspended over the stage and let it drop down to the floor as Benjamin disappeared off into the darkness, leaving Aaron alone.

“Give me those!” Keith shouted, stretching across the table on the tour bus toward Shaun. Grinning, Shaun pulled the box of pop tarts away from him and grinned from ear to ear.

“No, they don’t belong to you.” He said, keeping them just out of Keith’s reach. “These are Ben’s tarts so fuck off, little marshmallow.”

Flopping back down in his seat, Keith frowned and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “He’s clearly not going to eat them all, so what’s the big deal if I take just one?”

“The big deal is THEY AREN’T YOURS TO BEGIN WITH! How would you like it if someone came into your house and started eating your food without asking?” Shaun asked, shaking his head. 

Keith pulled the hood up on his hoodie. “This isn’t even a house, it’s a TOUR BUS, so there.” He stuck his tongue out at Shaun and sat back in his seat.

Just as he was about to say something in retaliation, the door to the bus opened and Benjamin stepped inside. “Welcome home, honey.” Shaun joked, but Benjamin didn’t smile. As he walked down past the two men, a wave of cold followed him in and the joyful mood suddenly vanished. He reached out and took the box of pop tarts away from Shaun and without a word handed them back to Keith, who stared at them wide eyed, like a kid on Christmas morning. He immediately ripped into them, fussing with the shiny silver wrapper as Ben took a seat behind them on a couch. 

Sensing his dark mood, Shaun got up and came to sit next to Benjamin. “Did you talk to Aaron? He told us before the show about his plans not to drive home with us. It kinda pissed me off a little bit because we’ve been traveling together all freaking year as a group and now all of a sudden him and Jasen want to go off and do their own thing. It is sort of disappointing. We should all be here, motoring thtough the states, plowing our way through the snow, watching bad Christmas movies and eating pop tarts together.”

Benjamin leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes. “It’s important for them to get back home tonight, they both have kids and want to see their faces as they open presents in the morning. I’ve already made them give up other holidays and kept them busy for nearly an entire year. I can’t ask them for anymore.”

The driver of the bus stepped on and approached Benjamin. “Will anyone else be joining us?”

Keeping his eyes closed, Ben shook his head. “No. You can go ahead and start driving. There’s nothing stopping you from leaving now.” The driver nodded and made his way back up to the front of the bus, and soon they were moving, heading out into traffic. 

Shaun looked at Ben. “That’s an ominous thing to say, don’t you think?” He saw Keith look up at him, with pop tart crumbs on the front of his jacket.

“What is?” Asked Benjamin.

“Nothing stopping you from leaving.”

Sighing, Benjamin opened his eyes and looked directly at Shaun. “If you say so.” Standing up, he shrugged off his leather jacket and threw it onto the empty seat next to Keith. “I am going in the back to lay down.” Ignoring the confused Shaun, Benjamin slowly made his way down the aisle and to the small room in the back of the bus which served as a bedroom with multiple bunk beds lining the walls. Pushing the curtain aside, he took one last look at Keith and Shaun, and then quickly pulled it back closed again.

Shaun turned to Keith, who had now taken out a guitar and was starting to tune it. “I think there’s something wrong with Ben.” 

Keith turned a few keys on the end of the instrument and strummed a note or two and then looked up. “Yeah I got that too. He was talking to Terry and the others tonight, asking about their families and such for a long time.” Keith sighed. “I don’t think he wants to go home, and I can't exactly blame him.”

Glancing off in the direction that Ben went, Shaun’s eyes focused on the curtains that separated the sleeping area away from the rest of the bus. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. He’s got family there, why would he not want to go back and see them after almost an entire year. Leanne has been telling me every night how much she misses me and wants me to come home; I’d imagine it would be the same for Ben too.”

“It’s not that… it’s the sickness, or whatever it is, I think. Whenever he goes home, it gets worse. When we’re out here on the road like this, there is always something for him to do. Gear to check on, set lists to finalize, VIP meet and greets, all that sort of stuff. He is always needed somewhere. It keeps his mind off it. I used to think that I would hate to be in his shoes, because he’s busy all the time when we’re on tour, but now I see that is what is keeping him going. He needs to be needed. I heard him say once that music is his life, and it is the thing that is keeping him alive, so you can imagine how he must feel when the music stops, even for a short time.” Keith put the guitar down and followed Shaun’s gaze to the dark curtain. “That’s the real reason why he planned another tour in January already and is only giving us a 2 week break. He has to keep himself going, and we're the ones who have to support him.”

Shaun looked at Ben’s jacket, thrown haphazardly onto the seat. “I need to talk to him.” He said, standing up and grabbing the coat. 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Keith asked. “He looked kinda tired when he went in there, maybe you should let him sleep for a while. We just got onto the road, we’re going to be driving for hours. You can talk to him later.”

Shaking his head, Shaun already started making his way to the bedroom. “No. It’s going to be now.” Ignoring Keith’s pleading eyes, Shaun drew the curtain back and slipped inside. 

The room was pitch black, with no windows to let the natural light in at all. The bunk-beds which lined the walls were small and cramped, barely comfortable at all, but enough to give a decent night or days sleep when needed. Entering the room, Shaun’s switched on a small reading light next to one of the beds and found Ben laying there, his tall body stretched out over the tiny bed with a hand over his eyes. For a moment, Shaun could almost swear that he saw a tear on one of his cheeks. Hearing him enter, Ben rubbed his eyes and glanced over at him. “Is something wrong?” He asked.

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Shaun shook his head. “No Ben, nothing is wrong… I just wanted to…” He took a step in the room and then sighed. “Okay, yes something is wrong, Ben, and it’s you. You have never been like this when a tour has ended before and I want to know what is going on? You can sit there scowling and glaring at me all you want for disturbing you, but I am not going to leave until I know what’s going on in that head of yours… I am worried about you… and you’re scaring the kid out there.” He said half smiling and pointing to where Keith was. 

Ben swung his long legs over the side of the bed and pinched the corner of his nose. “Everything is going exactly as planned. The tour did great, we pulled in the numbers, the crowds were awesome. We have everything to be thankful for.” Ben said quietly.

Shaun moved into the room and placed Ben’s jacket on the bed next to him. “Then what’s bothering you? Ever since you woke up this morning, you’ve been acting strange, like someone has killed your cat. If I didn’t know you better, I’d say that you weren’t even the same person. If something is on your mind, I’d like to hear about it. We’re heading home now and we won’t be able to help you if you need it. Ben, I know that you’ve been through a lot, fighting for this band, and believe me, we are so grateful, but it doesn’t mean that you have to do it alone.” Shaun sat down next to him, and leaned against his shoulder. His skin was icy cold to the touch. “Ben, are you still sick?”

Looking away from Shaun, Ben whispered. “Yes I am.”

“For fuck’s sake, why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“Because it doesn’t matter!” Ben snapped. He moved forward, resting his elbows on the top of his thighs. His long, slender fingers laced together and he wrung his hands nervously as he spoke. “When I am out there on that stage with you all, I can’t feel any pain. You can feel the energy coming off the crowd in waves, and that is what pushes me to keep going. Music is the blood that pumps through my veins and keeps me alive, and without it, I fall apart. I have to keep touring, keep going for as long as I can to keep the darkness away. Even now, as we sit here I can feel it creeping into my body, sapping my strength and turning my own thoughts dark. I’ve lived with this sickness for so long, that the mere thought of going home scares me to death, because I know what’s coming. Days of paralyzing pain where I can’t get off the couch to do anything, or sleepless nights where I toss and turn until finally I see daylight coming in through the bedroom window. That’s not the life I want. I want… no I need to be out there on that stage to really live.”

Relieved, Shaun reached out and took hold of Ben’s hands, holding onto them tightly. “You’re just tired like the rest of us, Ben that’s all it is. You need a break too.” He saw Ben shoot him a displeased look and Shaun held a hand up. “Now wait a moment… don’t go getting all mad about it, hear me out. Leanne and I, we’re looking for a new house. The one we’re staying at is falling apart, and there’s absolutely no room for my drum kits. I didn’t want to say anything to you before, because I didn’t want to put any pressure on you, but I noticed that there is a house for sale right down the street from yours. We could buy that house and when we’re not on tour, you and I can jam together. Every day, all day if you like. We can get a couple of drinks and then hit the boardwalk up at night, see if there are any local venues that are looking for some entertainment, and we can invite the others to join us when they are in town, too. What do you say?”

“Buying a house, just to hang out all day? I think it’s a stupid idea.” Benjamin said coolly. A passing thought crossed his mind, of a day when the skies would be gray and overcast, and he’d be able to go out down to the beach again and walk through the sand to listen to the waves crash on the shore. It was a place where he could be at peace with himself, his home.

“Don’t think of it like that Ben, think of it more as work thing... Imagine how much writing we can get done, the two of us if we were able to be close to one another physically?” Shaun suddenly blushed as he realized what he had said. “Wait… I don’t mean that we would like hook up or anything, I mean be near one another, not like a sexual thing or anything like that. Cause that would be wrong... and stuff.. uh...”

Laughing, Benjamin leaned over and kissed Shaun’s cheek unexpectedly. “Right. Whatever you say.”

Shaun pushed Ben back down toward the bed and stood up. “Just for that, I am going to tell Keith to eat the entire box of pop tarts and not save you a single one. Then when you get up after your little nap, you can deal with the little marshmallow high on sugar.”

Leaning his head back on the pillow, Ben waved at Shaun and closed his eyes. “Get out Shaun, I am going to sleep…and tell Keith to keep it down out there. Whatever he’s playing sounds like someone is strangling a bunch of crows to death.”

Quietly Shaun slipped out of the room, and Ben let out long sigh of relief. He didn’t know how much more he could take of this. His head hurt and he was shaking, freezing cold with chills. It took everything that he had to keep himself from letting Shaun see how he was really feeling, but it was something that had to be done. He had to remain strong and keep it together, just for a little longer. Closing his eyes, Benjamin pulled the blankets up around his lean body and curled up into them. The thick, soft fabric did nothing to ward off the ice that was flowing through his veins. He had no intention of sleeping, all he wanted was some peace and quiet, away from everyone to sort out his own thoughts. As hard as he tried, and no matter what he did, those thoughts always came back to Prox, Dustin and the terrible Shepherd of the Damned.

Hours passed and Benjamin woke up suddenly, hearing a loud thump hit the side of the tour bus. He hadn’t planned on falling asleep, and now he lost precious hours. Sitting up, he threw off the blankets and jumped to his feet, realizing that they were no longer moving. Storming through the aisle, he threw open the curtain and saw that Keith and Shaun were no longer in their seats. A cold, brisk wind blew in from the front of the bus and Ben could see that the front door was left open. A sense of dread filled him. Forgetting about his jacket, he slowly made his way outside and looked around. It was snowing. The place that they were at was unfamiliar to him at first, it was quiet and dark, and covered in a thick blanket of ice. The houses that lined the streets were mostly dark, spewing forth large amounts of white smoke from their chimneys which kept the families inside warm and cozy during the long night. Crunching the snow and ice underneath his feet, Benjamin stepped onto the curb, in front of a large house with an elegant picket fence surrounding it. A sudden memory shot through his head and he had a flash of blood on the snow. Wincing, he willed it away and was just about to put his hand on the gate to the fence when he heard Shaun’s voice shouting. “I was right Keith, you couldn’t hit me… the bus was a much easier target for you, but how about we not damage it too much eh?” 

Moving around the back of the bus, Ben found Keith and Shaun locked together in a epic snowball fight. Both men’s arms were filled to the rim with the hard cold balls of ice and snow packed together which they were using to assault one another, mostly missing and hitting the bus. Keith saw Ben first, and dropped his snowballs, running to his side. “I swear, I didn’t do it!” He whined. “It was Shaun! He’s the one that dented the side of the bus.”

Shaun’s jaw dropped open and he grabbed his snowball ammunition. “You were the one who hit the bus, not ME, just own up to it you marshmallow.” Pulling his arm back, he began whipping them one after the other at Keith, who tried to dodge them and failed miserably. Most hit him in the chest or arms, but the last, well aimed one hit the smaller man right in the face, knocking his glasses off.

“Dude! That’s enough!” Keith yelled and kicked snow at his opponent. “You don’t fight fair!” Benjamin reached down and picked up Keith’s glasses, handing them to him. “Thanks Ben!” He said, smiling at him. “And… oh yeah good morning, even though it’s night. We’re home. I was honestly going to wake you, but when we pulled in, I saw the snow and Shaun said something about drummers having better arms and all that crap, so I challenged him to a snowball fight, and one thing led to another.”

Benjamin blinked a few times and looked around. He knew where he was. Home. The house that he had been looking at earlier was his own.

“Imma go start my car.” Shaun mumbled, fumbling with his keys. “I’ll be right back.” Pausing to flip Keith the bird, he walked a few feet down the street to where his vehicle was parked and started it up, letting the engine melt the snow off. 

Keith stuck his freezing cold hands in his pockets. He looked at Ben through the water droplets that were covering his lenses and gave him a smile. “I could beat him, but I chose not to, I’ll let him think he’s better than me, for the moment anyway.” Moving from foot to foot to keep moving and stay warm, he glanced at the house behind Benjamin and then back to him. “Did you tell Rhiannon that we were coming home today? It looks like nobody’s home there.”

Rhiannon. For a moment the name meant nothing to Benjamin. Then he remembered. “I told her not to wait up for me.” 

Keith didn’t like the way that Benjamin seemed so disconnected. He knew that Ben was hiding something. “Well, you know…if you want, Shaun and I can stay here the night with you, and go home in the morning.”

Shaking his head, Ben managed to smile at Keith. “We just spent the better part of a year together, sleeping on the same tour bus every night. I think that it’s about time we ended the slumber party and called it a night.” He saw the concerned look in his friend’s eyes. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll be fine.”

“If you say so Ben.” Keith mumbled. 

Benjamin gave him a slight nod and stepped back away towards the gate to the fence. Just as he approached it, one of the street lights high overhead flashed on, showering him with pale yellow beams of light. The fine snow slowly fell down from the sky and gradually fluttered down around him, giving him an almost ethereal look. Keith tilted his head and stared, awe struck by the sight in front of him. For years, Ben had always insisted that the stage lighting be on everyone but him. He liked to remain in the shadows, and have people concentrate on the music instead of him, but there was no denying the fact that Ben was the one who truly deserved to be in the spotlight. For the first time ever, Keith saw Benjamin Burnley standing in the light, like he truly deserved to be. The snow fell softly down onto the silent, dark street. A random melody suddenly popped into Keith’s head. “You save my soul, now I won't let you go...there is nothing…there is nothing…that I want more than to see your face in the light.”

Turning around, Ben looked directly at Keith, his gray green eyes focused on him. “Did you say something Keith?”

“No Ben. I didn’t say anything.” Keith said quietly. “I felt it.” He whispered. 

Returning from his car, Shaun rejoined the men. “I cleaned the damn thing off myself while you were over here getting your goodnight kisses from Ben. Thanks for the help, Keith.” He said, scolding him. 

Keith grinned from ear to ear. “The bromance IS real!” 

Annoyed, Shaun grabbed a handful of snow and quickly formed it into a ball and threw it full force at Keith, who nimbly moved out of the way, finally managing to avoid one. “Hahaha suck it drummer boy!”

“We all have to go home now.” Benjamin said, his voice barely above a whisper. Both men turned to look at him slightly confused. 

“Yeah that’s why we got the car started. Shaun’s going to drop me off, along the way.” Keith added.

Walking over to his friends, Ben stood in front of them and took a deep breath. “I wanted everyone to be here to say this, but that’s not possible now… “

The joyful expression on Shaun’s face faded. “Ben, what’s wrong?”

Benjamin smiled at them. “Absolutely nothing. Everything is where it is exactly supposed to be. I wanted to take a moment and thank you both, for being there with me, through this journey….”

“Yeah it was a super awesome tour!” Keith said excitedly. “I can’t wait for the next one!”

Shaking his head, the expression on Ben’s face turned serious. “No you’ve got it all wrong… it’s not a tour, it’s a journey. There’s more to this world than you know, Keith. It may have been a few months for you, but for me, it was much much longer. The things that we’ve been through, the ordeals that we had to face, both good and bad, I simply could not have made it through without you both. Even the others, who we lost along the way, sacrificed everything that they were so that we could be here at this moment in time. I have no regrets for what I have done, or the choices that I made, because in the end, only this moment matters. If it was all suddenly taken away from me tomorrow, I know that the music that we created, the feelings and memories that we had will live on forever.”

Shaun felt a knot twisting his stomach. He didn’t like what he was hearing. This wasn’t how he was expecting the night to end. “Ben I don’t really like where you are going with this.”

In the dark house beyond the picket fence, a light suddenly turned on. It caught Benjamin’s eye and he went pale. “Tomorrow is Christmas. Shaun, I want you to go home and find Leanne. Forget about your luggage or your drum kits left behind, just go to her and take her into your arms. Hold on tightly to her when she hugs you and tell her how much she means to you. Don’t let her go for the rest of the night.”

“Ben……” Shaun started, but Ben cut him off.

“Keith, you aren’t meant to just play guitar for the rest of your life. You have songs, melodies, stories inside of you all waiting to be heard. Don’t be afraid of bringing them to life and sharing them with others. Whether they are about beautiful, brilliant white lights, or ominous black crows, the world needs to hear them. When you step on that stage, you won’t ever be alone, because I will be there with you, constantly encouraging you, inspiring you, cheering you on until you find your own light. It’s there; all you have to do is look for it.” Benjamin approached the men and pulled them both into his arms. No one said a word. The snow continued to slowly fall from the sky, surrounding them in a thin white blanket of ice and crystals. On the quiet street the three men stood, arms wrapped around each other, knowing that this was the time that they had to say goodbye, but not a single one of them had the strength to say it. 

Eventually, Benjamin released them. His eyes were glassy and wet, but he was not crying. “It’s time for you both to go now. Don’t waste a single minute more on me, time is too precious.” Before they could say anything else, he turned his back on them and started to pull the gate open, slowly walking up the steps to the house. 

Keith looked to Shaun. “We can’t let him go like that. It feels wrong.”

Shaun gave him a pat on the shoulder took and step towards the car. “I think we have to. It’s what he wants.”

Looking up at Ben, Keith felt like his heart was breaking, but he didn’t know why. Wiping his tears away, he followed Shaun back to the car and slipped into the passenger’s seat. He sat still for a moment and then turned to Shaun. “What are we going to do when he’s gone?” He asked.

Shifting the car into drive, Shaun slowly pulled away from the curb and took one last look in the rear view mirror, at the man whom he loved dearly. For some odd reason, he couldn’t quite make out his shape, he seemed distorted, cloaked in shadows. Sighing he replied. “We move on.”

Benjamin’s feet felt heavy as he took the steps one at a time, approaching the house. Soon he was standing on the porch, staring at the crystal lined window of the door to his own home. This is where the path was leading him for so long. He had tried so many times to step off of it, make his own fate, but inevitably he couldn’t escape it. As he had told the others, this is where he was supposed to be. Reaching down for the doorknob, he twisted it and found it open. He knew it would be. Taking one last look at the tour bus parked in front of the house, he smiled, seeing the fresh dent put there by the random snowball and shook his head. These would always be good memories.

Taking a deep breath, Benjamin’s shaking fingers pushed the door and he stepped inside. As soon as he entered, a soothing warmth overcame him, melting away all the snow and coldness from his bones. The house was silent, except for a large grandfather clock ticking the minutes away in the hall. All the lights were turned down, and a soft amber light came from the center of the living room, where a massive gold and silver Christmas tree stood, decorated with the most delicate glass blown ornaments which sparkled in the dim light. Around the base of the tree were presents, wrapped in various shades of tan and white paper, tied up with silver ribbon that matched the tree. Off in the corner, the fireplace was lit and crackling with fresh pine wood slowly burning on it. The sight was breathtaking. It looked like something right out of a magazine. 

Making his way through the room, Benjamin came to the large sofa and glanced down at the coffee table. On it was a place of white frosted sugar cookies with a tag on that read ‘To Santa’. He couldn’t help but to smile. Leaving cookies out on Christmas was always a tradition with his family, and it continued on through the years, no matter how old they got, the Burnley’s always left out cookies for Santa. Walking over to the fireplace, Ben looked at the photos that were lined up with their frames surrounded by fresh springs of holly. He picked up the first photo and ran his fingers over the glass, a wave of memories of happier times came crashing back, overwhelming him with emotion. Choking back the tears, he clutched at the photo, holding it close to his heart when suddenly there was the sound of footsteps on the stairs. They were light and quick, almost like that of a child. “No.” Benjamin whispered. “It can’t be.” Placing the photo back on the mantle, he watched with wide eyes as his son, Burnley…. No….Benjamin came running at him, his bare feet carrying him as fast as they could.

“Daddy! You’re home! I knew you’d come!” The little boy shouted, his eyes gleaming with delight. Benjamin bent down and caught him in mid jump, wrapping his arms around his small frame and started to weep. This was what he had been fighting for, the chance to make everything right again for everyone, he just didn’t expect it for himself.

Benjamin stroked his fingers over the soft brown layers of his son’s hair. “I can’t believe that you’re here, I never thought that I would see you again.”

“Well, Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas and he said that he wanted you home with him, and here you are, just in time.” Benjamin looked up to see his wife, Rhiannon dressed in red and black pajamas that matched the ones that her son wore as she stood near the bottom of the steps. Her hair was pulled up in a loose pony tail at the top of her head and she didn’t have a single ounce of make up on. Benjamin noticed how beautiful she looked, even more gorgeous than the day that they met back in high school. She smiled at him and walked into the room. Benjamin slowly stood up, still holding his son in his arms and hugged her as well. 

Not happy with the group hug, little Benjamin wiggled his bare feet. “Daddy, you’re squishing me!” he squealed and tried to squirm, but Ben’s arms were too strong. He wasn’t quite ready to let him go yet. As the snow storm raged and grew in intensity outside the house, so did the feeling of happiness and joy in Benjamin’s heart. He was home at last, and things would be better this time. They had to be.

“I think you better let him go, before you regret it, Ben.” Rhiannon laughed. “He’s become quite a little ninja since you were away.”

“Jedi! I am a Jedi, mom!” Little Ben fumed, as his father released him. 

“Oh Jedi. I am so sorry. Forgive me little padawan. Why don’t you go get your new light-saber that your auntie gave you for Christmas that you wanted to show Daddy?” She smiled at him, and slipped her arms around her husband’s waist. “Do you see the influence that you have over him? He’s been watching the Star Wars movies almost daily since you went away and I think that they’ve gone straight to his brain.” She leaned her head against Ben's chest, and watched her son as he ran off to get a toy. “I didn’t think you were going to make it back tonight, Ben...Aaron called me and said that you weren’t feeling well. I was worried.” She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent from his skin, listening to his heart beating. “Are you okay?”

Normally Benjamin hated anyone asking him that question. He hated the way it made him feel weak and inferior, but this time, he didn’t mind. Rhiannon’s concern was genuine. He could hear it in her voice. He took a deep breath, waiting for the weakness to set in, or the ache to return to his body, but it didn’t happen. He felt strong and healthy. He wanted to be here with his family this time. There was no arguing, passive aggressive comments or scolding, just pure love and happiness between them. It had been far too long that things had felt this way, and now all he wanted to do was savor each and every moment of it that he could. Bending down, he placed his lips over Rhiannon’s and drew her back into his arms, nearly sweeping her off her feet, and giving her an intense, deeply passionate kiss. “I am even better than okay, I am wonderful.” 

Rhiannon let out a small gasp at Benjamin’s unexpected show of affection. “Oh Ben, you don’t know how happy that makes me to hear you say that, you work so hard for us, you deserve all the happiness in the world.” She whispered to him, her eyes gleaming brightly and twinkling with the lights on the tree. 

He kissed her again as little Ben walked back into the room carrying a light-saber. “Mommy, don’t kiss daddy, he needs a shave.” Benjamin and Rhiannon started laughing and Ben gently let her go and started to slowly creep across the room towards his son.

“What? You don’t like my beard? Come here let me give you a kiss too so you will see it’s not so bad!” Ben said, starting to stalk the little boy from around the side of the couch. Little Ben let out a screech and ran around in a circle with his father following him, trying to escape while Rhiannon looked on, watching them with amusement. Little Ben had the upper hand, staying away from him until Ben took a short cut, jumping over the couch and tackling the boy down to the floor. The front of his pajamas rolled up and taking advantage of the situation, Ben pushed it up further exposing his tummy and began to give the squealing little boy zerberts. 

“Oh you boys, place nice!” Rhiannon laughed, as she moved to sit on the corner of the couch. Folding one of her legs underneath her, she grabbed a pillow and held it against her chest; sitting back and watching them play. For over two hours Benjamin played with his son, chasing him, tickling him, and letting him show off all the star wars toys that he had collected while he was away. Soon, little Ben started to slow down and his eyes grew heavy. Escaping from his father for a moment, he crawled up onto the couch next to Rhiannon and put his head down in her lap. “Benjamin, I think he’s getting tired. Maybe we should call it a night and pick it up morning? There will be lots of time then when we can open presents.” 

Little Ben immediately sat up. “Can we open presents now mommy? Please? Just one?”

Benjamin moved to the couch, sitting next to his wife. Slipping an arm around her shoulders, he leaned in and whispered to her. “What’s one little present, he’s got lots more under the tree there. I want to see him open one tonight.”

Rhiannon smirked. “Alright, I suppose… just one okay Ben?” The little boy nodded, his eyes wide with excitement as he ran over to the tree. “Choose any one that you want and bring it back here.” Diving into the massive pile of wrapped boxes of every shape and size, little Ben seemed to be on a mission, searching for one specific gift. Taking his time, he picked each one up and shook it, testing the weight while Benjamin and Rhiannon looked on with amusement. For several minutes this carried on, until he ended up choosing a box that was shoved far under the tree, away from all the others. Pulling it out, he brought it over to the couch and wiggled in between his parents. He looked at them expectantly. “Go on you can open it.” Grinning with delight, his small fingers yanked at the silver paper, slipping the ribbons off and tossing them aside. Pushing the useless wrap away, he found a brown cardboard box, and started to tear into it. He had only gotten the top flap open and peered inside when he looked at his father and then mother with eyes as big as the moon.

“WOW!” He yelled, jumping up and down, not able to contain his excitement. 

“What is it?” Benjamin asked, picking up the box from the sofa. Little Ben knelt down on the floor in front of them as his father helped him open it the rest of the way. There inside was a small child sized guitar with a custom paint that exactly matched that of the red and black his fathers. Ben looked at Rhiannon.

Shrugging, smiled back at him. “Well, he’s always saying how much he wants to be like you when he grows up. I thought that this might be a good time to get him started.”

An incredible amount of love filled Benjamin’s heart. Leaning over, he kissed Rhiannon on the cheek and handed the instrument to his son, who quickly took it and started strumming it. “It’s the best gift ever.” Reaching out, he took hold of her hand and kissed the back of it. “You both are. I never expected to be this happy, but I am. All that we’ve worked for, all that we’ve sacrificed to be here in this place has been well worth it, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Rhiannon scratched her fingers through Ben’s scruffy beard. “You are our world Benjamin Burnley, don’t ever forget that.”

Feeling as though his heart was about to burst, Benjamin drew his arms around his wife, and leaned back onto the soft, plush cushions of the sofa, watching his son play. Each note that he attempted, every time that his fingers strummed the strings the room was filled with a loud, off pitched tone that would make the ordinary person cringe, but to Ben, it was the sweetest sound in the world. 

Together they sat there in the living room, enjoying each others company as the minutes ticked away, leading them into the small hours of the morning. Little Ben had curled up on his father’s lap, guitar in hand and had fallen asleep, unwilling to let it go. Rhiannon and Benjamin sat up, talking quietly about the future and how wonderful it was going to be once the weather cleared up and they could go for walks on the beach. They were together again, only this time, things were different. Benjamin could easily get used to this gentle comfort of being a family, and not have to worry about constantly providing for them or his failing health. It was like a dream come true. He was truly blessed to have such a beautiful, loving wife and child, as well as four other great guys in his band to depend on. Feeling foolish for sounding so serious as he said good bye to his band mates, he vowed to give them a call first thing in the morning to touch base with them and let them know that everything was going to be okay. 

“I think we should put this one to bed now.” Rhiannon said, whispering to her husband and motioning to her son. “The excitement tuckered him all out.” As she sat up to wake him, Benjamin shook his head.

“No. Let me do it.” Reaching out, Benjamin gently took little Ben into his arms. He let out a slight whimper and then curled up tightly against Benjamin’s chest. “I’ll meet you upstairs.” He said, slowly rising to his feet. With great care, he headed for little Ben’s bed room at the end of the hall. Pushing the door open, he walked inside, and made his way over to the small bed in the corner of the room, decorated with star wars blankets and pillows. Gently, he laid the small boy down and covered him up. The moment his body hit the mattress, his eyes fluttered open.

“Daddy. The light.”

Turning around, Benjamin found a small night light next to the bed and turned it on. Feeling safe now, little Ben curled up in a ball and drew the blankets around him, falling back into a sound sleep once again. Looking down at the sleeping child, Benjamin was overwhelmed with a feeling of joy. The thoughts and memories of Prox seemed so far off and distant now and it was hard to focus on them. They slipped away like ice on a spoon, never seeming to stay in one place for very long, always moving, and for this he was grateful. In time, he could totally forget about everything that happened there, and enjoy his new life, the life that he always wanted. Little Ben twitched slightly in his sleep and Benjamin bent down, brushing the hair away from his face to give him a gentle kiss. It was hard to believe that the little boy sleeping peacefully in the bed right in front of him had turned out to be such a sadistic psychopath, one who almost brought the downfall of an entire planet. All the hate, all the anger and rage that the FEC had forced into him was gone now, leaving nothing more than a sweet, innocent child who Benjamin would never abandon again. He made a mental note to himself that after the next tour was done, he’d take some time off and spend it with him and Rhiannon. They deserved that much. Benjamin’s health was better, and he now wanted to spend time at home with the ones that he cared about. That was the most important thing to him now. 

As Benjamin stood back up, he turned to leave and noticed something sitting on the night stand which caught his eye. Curious, he walked over and picked it up. It was a simple blue guitar pick with a few numbers printed on it. Judging from the amount of scratches on it, it had been used. Frowning, Benjamin knew that it wasn’t one of his, or one from any one of his boys either. Curious, but not overly concerned where it had come from, he put it back down on the nightstand and made his way to the door. Before he left, he turned around one last time to see his son, sleeping peacefully under the glow of his Star Wars nightlight. Everything was going to be okay.

Lost in his own thoughts for a moment, Benjamin softly padded down the halls, looking at the multitude of custom framed photos that lined the walls. Family, friends, loved ones, they all posed perfectly for the camera, smiling and looking as happy as ever. He started to think about another family, the one he left behind, but the more he tried to remember them, the more they slipped away, causing him to wonder if they were just all in his head, a dream that remained after waking up perhaps. Ignoring the strange, uncomfortable feeling, he soon found himself at the door to the master bedroom. He reached out, placing his fingers on the lacquered wood and pushed it open. Rhiannon looked up from the book that she was reading. “Did he give you any trouble? Sometimes he fusses at bedtime for me, with nonsense about someone staring at him from the door while he’s trying to sleep. I just tell him that it’s you watching over him from far away and that seems to calm him down.”

Benjamin’s brow furrowed and a chill ran down his spine. “What?” He came to sit on the corner of the bed next to Rhiannon. “He sees something?” he asked curiously.

Sitting up, Rhiannon started to unbutton Ben’s shirt. “It’s just a child’s overactive imagination Ben, nothing more. He watches too many sci fi movies and they’ve gone to his head. After he settles in, he’s fine, it’s nothing to worry about, especially now that you are here.” Pulling herself up, Rhiannon knelt on the bed and pulled Ben’s shirt off, wrapping her arms around him from behind and resting her head against his. Her light blond hair spilled out down over Benjamin’s shoulders and smelled of perfume. The feeling of her body pressed up against his was so wonderful. Locking her hands over the front of his chest, she whispered into his ear. “Benjamin, I am so glad you’re home. I have missed you so much, you are my entire life…you and little Ben both. You make me so happy.”

Placing his hand over Rhiannon’s, Ben closed his eye, listening to her. These were the words that held more meaning than any song lyric that he could ever write, they were the ones that he had been longing to hear for so long. His life was changing, swept away in a sea of perfect bliss. All he had to do was take a deep breath and dive into it. Glancing down at Rhiannon’s hands resting over his heart, his eyes went to the silver wedding band on her finger and then to his own hand. He wasn’t wearing one. Sensing his discomfort, Rhiannon kissed his cheek. “Is something troubling you?”

Benjamin’s gray green eyes went to the clock on the nightstand. It was 12:00 a.m. Far off in the distance at the other end of town, church bells rang out loudly, chiming the first minutes of Christmas morning. He took deep breath and turned his head to kiss Rhiannon. She pulled him close to her, just as he switched off the light, sinking into the layers of blankets and soft sheets together, husband and wife.

 

“Benjamin.” A low voice called to him, speaking his name. It was a familiar voice. Pulling the blankets up over his shoulder, Ben ignored it. He was dreaming. “Benjamin.” It called to him again. Rolling over, he looked to Rhiannon, who was sleeping soundly next to him. “Benjamin wake up.” Confused, he sat up and noticed that the door to their bedroom was open. Rubbing his eyes against the bright light from that hall, he took a moment to let them adjust and then saw the figure of a man dressed in black standing there. Alarmed and shocked, he reached over and shook Rhiannon. She stirred, but did not wake up. “Don’t disturb her, I am not here for her.” The man said. Once again, Ben couldn’t help feeling how familiar the voice was. He knew it well but couldn’t place it. Standing at the threshold of the bedroom, the dark figure stood motionless. 

A chill filled the room. “What do you want?” Ben said quietly. He could see his breath in the air around him. 

“I’ve come for you. It’s time to go Benjamin.”

Ben pulled the blankets away from him and stood up. He noticed that he was now dressed in a tight fitting black t-shirt and black pajama bottoms with no socks. Rhiannon, however, was nude, her nightgown still laying at the foot of the bed where it had been tossed during their lovemaking. He pulled the blankets up further around her shoulders and then left the bed, walking towards the dark shape in front of him. “I am not going anywhere, this is my home now.”

“No, it’s not.” The man said coldly. “You don’t belong here. This is the life that you have given up so that others may go on to live their own in peace and happiness. You made this sacrifice on Prox. Lizzie, Thomas, Selene, Tristan, Scott, Travis, Brock and even Dustin have all been given a fresh start, a new life, a new opportunity to make new choices. Without the sacrifice that you have made, none of it would have been possible.”

“Prox.” Benjamin whispered. “Dustin….” 

“You can’t remember clearly because I’ve hidden away most of your memories from there, just as I have done for the others. Everything that they have gone through has been wiped clean. Although, sometimes a little may trickle through from time to time, as what has happened to you earlier, but like everything else, they will pass. This is one of the gifts of the Shepherd of the Damned.”

“I won’t let you take me. I have what I want here. I have my family back!” Benjamin fumed. He could feel his stomach start to twist into knots and his knees grow weak.

The Shepherd shook his head. “You’re dreaming Benjamin. You are already dead. I let you spend one last night with them, out of kindness…you can’t stay here. I have to take you away.”

Forming his hands into fists at his sides, Benjamin fought back the rage that was building inside of him. This was his place to be, his home, he wouldn’t let anyone take that away from him. “And what happens if I refuse?”

The shadows around the dark figure seemed to grow. “You can refuse, if you want. I will simply leave you, and you can return to your bed, curl up next to your wife and wake up in the morning.”

Benjamin was filled with false hope. He knew that there would be a catch. “That’s it?”

“Yes.” He hesitated. “You will get to spend the holidays with your wife and child… but… what happens after will be on your own head.”

“Stop being so fucking cryptic and tell me.”

“If you choose to remain here, you will be breaking our bargain, and I will leave you completely, leaving your body in the same condition I found it, weak, broken, and disease riddled from alcohol abuse. Over the next few weeks, while you are trying to enjoy your new-found happiness and bliss, you will start to show the first signs, fatigue, exhaustion, and then just when you think you can cope with that, the pain will begin. Slowly at first, it will spread through your entire body until you are so sick that you won’t be able to leave your bed. Your wife will have to bring you food everyday and bathe you. You will become the shadow of the man that you once were. Eventually, you will succumb to the disease, just as fate had planned for you all along and die.”

Benjamin’s heart sank. He looked back to where Rhiannon was sleeping peacefully. “I don’t care if I die, it will happen anyway. We all die… but if I can get just a few more days in with them, then it’s all worth it.” He said softly.

“And the others?” The Shepherd asked. “Would you forsake them too? If you stay, then their lives will change. Memories will return, feelings and emotions will come pouring through all at once… and fate will have its way, claiming the lives of those that it took back on Prox… including your wife and son.”

Benjamin was suddenly filled with horror. “Little Ben… no….”

“I am sorry, but you made the bargain yourself. I could have simply taken you away and not let you have this day, but I felt the inner turmoil of your soul, and I wanted you to be at peace as well. I have given you the chance to take a look into their lives and see how it has changed. Where they all go from here is completely up to them. You sacrificed your own happiness so that others may have it, don’t let it all be for nothing.” 

Lowering his head, Benjamin was filled with sorrow. He knew that the Shepherd of the Damned was right, he knew it from when he stepped off the stage tonight, he felt it deep inside. This wasn’t his life after all. He had to go. “Let me say goodbye first.” The temperature of the room returned to normal, and the dark figure standing at the door way vanished. Taking a deep breath, Benjamin walked over to Rhiannon’s side of the bed and pulled the blankets down away from her arm, then gently kissed her bare shoulder. She smiled. With a delicate touch, he brushed the hair away from her face, and gazed at her as she slept. “I know it’s been tough on you, Rhiannon… we’ve been through so much together…ever since high school when I saw you in the halls, standing at your locker, shuffling through cassette tapes looking for something to listen to. You always loved music, and that's why I loved you. I would have given you the world if I had more time. Don’t cry when I am gone, just promise to give me one last kiss so I can feel it." Stirring slightly, Rhiannon whimpered a bit, mumbling inaudible words. Benjamin closed his eyes and reached out, resting his hand lightly on her shoulder and felt something stirring within her. He dropped down to his knees beside the bed, lowering his head and started weeping, tears streaming down his cheeks. 

Little Benjamin appeared in the doorway where the Shepherd had been standing, holding a glass of water. “Daddy, why are you crying?”

Immediately Benjamin stood up, turning his back away from his son for a moment and clumsily wiping at his eyes. “It was just a nightmare son, nothing to worry about.” Benjamin waited for a moment, trying to calm himself and then made his way over to his son and knelt down in front of him. “Let’s get you back to bed now okay, Ben?”

“Can you come lay with me until I fall asleep please?” Little Ben asked with pleading eyes. 

Benjamin nodded. “Of course.” Smiling, he bent down and scooped up his son in his arms, lifting him as easily as if he had been made of air and started to carry him back towards his bedroom. The water in the glass that little Ben had been holding sloshed and spilled out over his shirt, but he didn’t care. Gently placing him back down onto the bed, Ben took the glass from him and placed it back on the nightstand. His eyes caught sight of the blue pick sitting there. Picking it up, he held it out to little Ben. “Ben, where did you get this?” he asked as he laid down next to the boy.

Snatching it from his fingers, little Ben slipped it under his pillow. “You gave it to me daddy.”

Curious, Benjamin decided to question him a little more. “When?”

Little Ben yawned and grabbed for a stuffed BB-8 pillow, clutching it to his chest. “When you were standing at my door, watching over me, silly.” The little boy curled up around his fathers thin body and closed his eyes. “Daddy can we please play some more music when we wake up? Just you and me?”

Protectively wrapping his arms around his son, Benjamin leaned back against the headboard of the bed and closed his eyes. “Sure Ben. What would you like to hear?”

Sleep started to take little Ben away. “Rain…it’s my most favorite.”

Overcome with emotion, Benjamin choked back the lump in his throat. “Sure Ben, I’ll play Rain for you.” He felt like his heart was breaking, shattering into a million pieces. A parent should never have to say goodbye to their child, and he didn’t even know where to start. This was a terrible price to pay. Ben’s eyes filled with tears once again, but this time he let them flow and stream down over his cheeks. His strong and powerful voice cracked as he spoke quietly to his now sleeping son. “You know the best part about rain, Ben? After the rain, the sun will reappear. There is life. After the pain, the joy will still be there, all you have to do is look for it.” Leaning down, he kissed his son’s forehead and carefully slipped off the bed. He pulled the blankets up around his little body and sighed. “Look for me Ben, and I will come to you, I promise.” He turned away and walked out of the room, without looking back at his son. He couldn’t bear the pain of saying goodbye another time. 

Consumed by grief and sorrow, Benjamin made his way down the steps to the living room. He took one last look around, taking everything in, absorbing all the memories that were made within those four walls. Making his way out, he stopped and looked into a mirror that had been mounted next to the door which led down to the beach. His eyes fell upon his own reflection and an inner calm descended over him. Someone else gazed back at him. He slowly opened the door, without another word or thought, and moved outside into the pitch black night. 

The storm had stopped, leaving behind it a pristine white, untouched beach of fine white snow that stretched on for miles. In the distance, Benjamin could hear the sounds of the waves crashing. Stepping away from the house, Benjamin didn’t even feel the cold on his bare feet as he made his way down to the water, as a matter of fact, he felt nothing at all. The sky was clear now, and filled with million stars, each one a pin hole of light shining down through the thick blanket of night. He looked up for a moment, wondering which one of those lights was Prox and whispered. “You're out there, I hear you calling from behind the star fields…I feel you…Radiating energy like eternal northern lights…Far from the sun…Where no one knows.” Smiling, he let the light of the moon wash over him for a moment and then continued onward, never looking back.

The Shepherd was waiting for him at the water’s edge, a dark shape whose feet never touched the snow. “I know who you are now.” Benjamin said quietly and stepped forward. The darkness shifted a bit as Ben approached it. “More importantly, I know who I am now.” Reaching out, he extended his arm and let his fingers touch the flowing swirls of mist. He expected to feel something cold and painful, but it was just the opposite. A sense of calmness descended over him, like a blanket wrapping around him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The cold night air seeped his into lungs and refreshed him. All regret, pain, anger, every emotion he had experienced on Earth and Prox left him, leaving him filled with light and life. His clothing changed from his pajamas to a simple black suit that fit his slender form perfectly. The dark circles faded away from his gray green eyes, and strength returned to his body. The darkness flowed around him, through him, flaring up behind him taking the shape of large black wings arching high over his shoulders for a moment and then dissipated, flying away from him like ashes carried on the wind. He took a step out into the water, letting the coolness rush up and soak into his feet and legs. It burned away the fever that was raging inside of him. All that he once was washed away with the salt water, disappearing into the waves. Benjamin Burnley was no more. In the sky overhead, the light from a few points of light started to flicker and go out. He looked up to the falling stars streaming down from the heavens and whispered into the night.

“I am the Shepherd of the Damned.”


End file.
